The Muggle Born Magician
by SeanCamp
Summary: Cho Chang isn't exactly having the greatest day. Unfortunately for her it's about to get a whole lot worse. Can she survive long enough to discover her own inner strength? Or will her insecurities be her undoing? Takes place during HBP.
1. Morning Sickness

_A/N: _

_I've revised the story with some minor edits and corrections, but nothing that affects the plot really. _

_Lots and lots of thanks to those who've reviewed The Muggle-Born Magician so far! I wish you had accounts so I could respond to your reviews individually but I just wanted to let you know that they mean a lot. I'm currently toying with ideas for a sequel so let me know if you'd like to see one!_

_Thanks to everyone else who's already read the story, I hope you enjoyed it! _

_If this is your first time reading, welcome! I always appreciate reviews whether good or bad, so don't hesitate to let me know what you think. _

_Enjoy! - (17/01/2013)_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Morning Sickness<strong>

**12:15am**

The room was large and round. It had blue and bronze silk hangings and a domed ceiling painted with stars. There were a number of fat blue arm chairs, bronze coloured tables and ancient looking bookshelves spread about on the navy blue carpet. The patterns woven into the carpet seemed to echo the stars on the ceiling. The walls of the room were covered with large arched windows through which only darkness and some slivers of moonlight were visible. The room was fairly empty apart from a handful of young people scattered about it. Some sat at tables, others on chairs. They all looked to be in their teens or younger and their demeanour suggested they were students. The most interesting feature of the room was the white marble statue of a woman which stood next to an open passageway. She looked fierce and wise and had a sort of diadem atop her head. It was near to this statue that a girl with long black hair sat.

Cho Chang nibbled on the end of her quill, deep in thought. Her legs were dangling over the arm of the large blue chair she was sitting sideways in. Her head was propped up on a cushion that rested on the chair's other arm. Her potions book rested heavily on her lap and she stared at it, not really seeing it at all. Her mind was focussed on other things. As her thoughts so often did, they had turned to Cedric. She was thinking of the day he had asked her to the Yule ball. He had been so humble, looking as if he thought he didn't deserve her. He was so shocked when she said yes. That was the moment he won her over.

She felt an undeniable feeling of sadness wash over her. Over the past year she had gotten much better at handling these bouts of sorrow. She had done her grieving, a process that had been compounded by not knowing exactly how Cedric had died. But she had found that out too. Now her thoughts turned to Harry. She felt sadness again. This sadness, however, did not wash over her. Instead it was like a few raindrops falling on her face. She shook her head quickly, trying to clear her mind. She was meant to be doing her potions homework.

Somehow she managed to find the willpower to return her attention to the book in front of her. About fifteen minutes later she was fully absorbed in what she was doing. She had always found that working could take her mind off any problem, at least for a little while.

"Hey Cho," a soft voice said as a shadow fell onto the book she was poring over. She was curious as to who it was. It was something of an unspoken pact among Ravenclaws that you never interrupted a fellow Ravenclaw when they were studying. You especially didn't interrupt them at this ungodly hour. She looked up and found a boy with ear-length dark brown hair and brown eyes standing in front of her. He was average height and somewhat scrawny, with skin that was a shade darker than most, as if he had just come back from a tropical vacation. On the whole however, he did not look terribly different than his fellow Hogwarts students.

"I want to show you something," the boy said. "I've been working on it all night."

Cho sighed, irritated. Didn't he realize what time it was? "I'm trying to study, Remy."

"It won't take long," Remy said with a pleading edge to his voice that made Cho feel a twinge of guilt. Then he grinned in excitement. "I'm going to blow your mind."

"Can't you read someone else's mind tonight?" She was trying to be gentle about it but she was really not in the mood to deal with Remy Borden right now. NEWTs were just around the corner for Merlin's sake! She glanced around and saw Luna Lovegood sitting on the floor on the far side of the common room. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up into pigtails with her wand tucked behind her right ear. Her butterbeer-cork necklace swayed as she rocked back and forth, clearly amused by the book in her lap. Cho had once thought Luna was quite insane, but had warmed to her slightly last year when they had both become members of Dumbledore's Army. Of course they hadn't really spoken much since later that year when Cho had left the group after her best friend sold them out. Cho had defended her friend but felt so ashamed about the whole thing that she had taken to avoiding most of the other members.

Sighing heavily as she thought of the DA, she looked back up at Remy and said, "I'm sure Luna would be happy for you to read her mind."

"I don't want to read her mind," he said simply, not bothering to look around. Instead he gave Cho an odd look. "Anyway just pick a card, any card." He held out a deck of muggle playing cards towards her. His brown eyes shone with excitement. She had been dreading this, more card tricks.

"Oh, come off it Borden! No one wants to see any more of your muggle _magic_," a familiar voice called from behind her, sneering at the last word. She turned to see her boyfriend, Michael Corner, emerging from the entrance to the boy's dormitory. She smiled at him as he pulled up a seat beside her and gave her a quick kiss hello. She looked back up in time to see Remy walking away and sighed with both relief and guilt before looking back at her boyfriend.

"I thought you had gone to bed," she said quietly.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Haunted by visions of evil muggle magic tricks I presume?" she said, smirking. He laughed and shook his head.

"I still don't get why you keep humouring him," Michael said. Cho shrugged.

"I guess I just feel bad for him." Michael reached over and squeezed her hand while smiling warmly at her.

"You're so kind." His smile wavered as he said it but was back in an instant. She sighed.

_No I'm not, _she replied mentally. She considered saying it aloud but instead she looked at him as his gaze drifted back towards where Remy had been standing. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Their conversations had been like this for a while. They began fine, but quickly trailed off into nothing. Cho couldn't help but feel it was her fault.

She continued to stare at him as she made yet another attempt to figure out exactly what was off about their relationship. Michael was just the kind of guy she had always wanted. He was smart, brave and kind (most of the time) and he had helped her get through one of the hardest times of her life. She knew he cared for her; he was one of the few that had stayed friends with her after she fell out of popularity last year. But something was missing. She didn't feel that spark she had felt when she had been with Cedric, or even during her short time with Harry. Michael had also been distant lately. It was almost as if, now that Cho no longer needed a counsellor of sorts, the basis for their relationship was gone.

She heard a soft tapping sound and glanced up to see Remy sitting next to Luna who was applauding quietly. He had no doubt been entertaining her with those card tricks of his. Cho couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. She hated being mean, especially to people who were outcasts. And Remy Borden was certainly an outcast. Being a muggle-born who proclaimed to have no aspirations beyond being the world's greatest magician would have that effect. Especially at a school where the term 'magician' was seen as muggle nonsense at best and somewhat offensive at worst.

She and Michael sat in silence for a while (she was unsure whether or not it was a comfortable silence) until he announced he would make another attempt at getting some sleep. She wondered what it was that had been keeping him up. Being a sixth year he had neither NEWTs nor OWLs to worry about. Of course the recent series of attacks by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's followers had everyone a bit more on edge than normal. She briefly wondered how Harry was taking all of it.

She kissed Michael goodnight and then returned her attention to her potions book. She would have this chapter mastered before class tomorrow. Five frustrating minutes later she realized that it was a useless endeavour, her brain simply refused to retain any more information about strength-enhancing potions and their side-effects. She decided instead to cut her losses and go to bed; perhaps she could get some studying done in the morning. She had just begun gathering her things when Remy approached her again.

"Need some help with that?" he asked. She shook her head, bewildered. Didn't he have anything better to do than pester her? He was in fifth year; he should have been working like a house elf to prepare for OWLs.

"So that means you're done studying for the night right?"

"Look Remy, I'm really not in the mood for any of your false magic or whatever it is you want to show me!" She snapped. His expression, which had been somewhat gloomy to begin with, did not change, but when he spoke again his voice was even softer.

"I'm... sorry," he said. "I just wanted you to see it first; you're the only one that's ever seemed interested." Cho wondered how true that was; Luna had seemed pretty entertained earlier. It was only the small cynical part of her mind that felt this way though. Most of her mind was consumed with guilt, again.

"No, I'm sorry Remy. It's just been a long day. But of course you can show me." She paused. "It better be good though," she threatened mockingly.

Remy broke out into a grin. "Ok Miss Chang, prepare to be amazed." With surprising dexterity he shuffled the card deck, pulled a card out of it and tossed it into the air. She was taken aback by the speed and fluidity of his movements. It made her remember how genuinely impressed she had been when he had first showed her one of his tricks.

A moment later he caught the card. Holding it right in front of his face so that she could see only one of his eyes he mumbled something. Suddenly the card began to glow red. The bright light the card emitted was unmistakeably caused by magic. She normally wouldn't have considered this a big deal at a school of witchcraft and wizardry if it wasn't for the fact that his wand was nowhere to be seen.

"This," he said, pausing for dramatic effect, "is _true_ card magic." His soft voice was made slightly more impressive by the glowing card he held inches from his face. The light illuminated his features and gave the impression that his one visible eye was glowing red. Cho was silent. He continued to grin mischievously until suddenly there was a bang and a flash of red light, both of which originated from the card. When the light faded Remy was lying on his back, out cold. The card had vanished. Cho got up and stared at him, unsure of what to do.

Luna, who was the only other person still in the common room, drifted over dreamily. "Wouldn't he be more comfortable in his bed?" she asked, as if she was only pointing out a slight oversight. "Unless it's infested with Nargles," she added as an afterthought.

"He… he was showing me a magic trick and..." Cho began shakily but trailed off because Luna had just broken into extremely enthusiastic applause. She didn't stop until she noticed the bewildered look on Cho's face.

"Is it impolite to clap for a magician?" Luna asked the other girl seriously.

"I'm... not really sure," Cho answered. She didn't really know anything about muggle magicians, other than that they were regular muggles who somehow tricked other muggles into thinking they could do magic. She had never really asked Remy for details. Shaking her head suddenly she mentally slapped her self. There were more important things to be worrying about at the moment. She quickly explained to Luna what had happened. "I don't think it was supposed to end with him unconscious," she finished.

"Perhaps not," Luna said vaguely, as if there was nothing strange about a performance ending with its practitioner out cold. With a lazy wave of her wand, which she had retrieved from behind her ear, she whispered _"Enervate."_ Remy's eyes fluttered open and Cho briefly wondered why she hadn't thought of that. Remy sat up slowly, looking quite bemused. His eyes searched the room until they came to rest on Cho. He smiled groggily up at her for a few moments before his features contorted into an expression of horror.

"What happened?" he asked and his soft voice came out as a groan. As Cho refreshed his memory his face grew more and more red. At the end of her story he sprang to his feet and ran off towards the boys' dormitory without a word; leaving his deck of cards, which had been scattered all over the floor, behind.

The two Ravenclaw girls looked at each other for a moment before Luna spoke. "He's a bit of an odd one isn't he?" she said fondly. Cho couldn't help but laugh.

**7:53am**

Cho woke up abruptly. Visions of Death Eaters taunting her with muggle playing cards faded from her mind. Her strange dreams were forgotten almost immediately. She opened her eyes and was greeted by the sunlight that streamed through the curtains around her bed. Stifling a yawn she got up and flung them open. The view from her window was spectacular. She could see the mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle, their white tips glistening in the sunlight. She looked around the dorm room and found that it was mostly empty. Without surprise she noted the sleeping figure of her friend Marietta. Ever since last year Marietta had taken to sleeping in late. Cho yawned again and stretched. She then noticed an odd pile lying on her bedside table. Remy's cards.

After his hasty exit the night before, she and Luna had gathered up the scattered cards by hand. She had told Luna that it just didn't feel right using magic on them. The truth was, however, that after Remy's performance she was scared of what might happen. She was drawn out of her thoughts when she noticed the enchanted clock on her bedside table and gasped. She was late for breakfast! She sprang to her feat immediately and rushed to get ready. About ten minutes later (a record for her) she headed down to the Great Hall. But not before stuffing Remy's cards into her pocket.

She sat in her usual seat next to Michael and across from his friends, Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein. He had smiled at her when she approached and was far more talkative than he had been recently. He asked about how the rest of her night had been and how she'd slept and how her day was going. She giggled a bit at that last question.

"Well it's barely even started yet," she answered. "But it's been pretty good so far." Then she leaned over and quickly kissed his cheek. He blushed and Terry smirked from across the table. Michael's obvious interest had cheered her up. Clearly there was nothing wrong with their relationship, she was just being paranoid.

She glanced across the hall at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry sitting next to Ginny Weasely. He was watching her as she chatted animatedly and he kept teasing her by trying to steal bits of food from her plate. Harry, being a seeker, was quite quick but he had met his match in Ginny who managed to block most of his attempts. What struck Cho about the two of them was how happy they looked. She smiled despite herself, Harry deserved to be happy. Then, realizing she was staring, she looked away quickly, turning her gaze to Michael instead. She was happy too wasn't she? She couldn't be sure, but she knew she was content.

After breakfast Michael offered to walk her back up to Ravenclaw tower to get her books which she had forgotten in her haste. When she emerged from the girl's dormitory she found him sitting in the same chair she had occupied last night. He looked absolutely dejected. She rushed to his side, alarmed, and kneeled in front of him while placing her hands in his.

"Michael," she said as he stared into his lap, "what's wrong?" He looked up at her and she felt him shudder.

"Cho," he began and his voice cracked. "Cho," he started again, "I think... we need ...I mean, we should..." He trailed off. Cho's hands tightened their grip on his. She just wanted to help him. The small cynical part of her mind was whispering warnings furiously, trying to fill her with negative thoughts. She ignored it.

"Weneedtobreakup!" Michael finally managed to blurt out. The words were strung together in a way that reminded her of the time Harry had asked her to the Yule Ball. But this time she heard perfectly. She released his hands as if they had been transfigured into Blast-Ended Skrewts and stared at him. Was this some kind of odd joke? Maybe a dare from his friends? Whatever it was it was not funny.

"Why would you say that," she asked him in a way that didn't even sound like a question.

"Cho..." he began. His voice was still shaky, but his expression was firm and somehow she knew it was no joke. She sprang to her feet suddenly, panicking. She didn't want to hear his answer. She spun on her heel and ran from the common room, nearly knocking over a sleepy looking Remy Borden as he emerged from the boys' dorm.

"Cho?" she heard him say as she disappeared through the door. She did not know exactly where she was going, but her feet carried her to a familiar location as tears began to stream from her face.

**9:07am**

_You said you wouldn't do this again,_ Cho mentally protested as she sat on the loo in the girl's bathroom near Ravenclaw tower. _You said you wouldn't be this girl anymore._ Nevertheless she continued to weep heavily. She couldn't fight the tide of sadness any longer. She was alone, again. Yet another person had left her. It was almost too much to bear.

_First Cedric, then Harry, now Michael._ Memories of the three of them danced around in her mind. Cedric's face smiling back at her before he began the final challenge of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, then his lifeless body being clutched in Harry's arms. She thought of Harry blushing so cutely when she shook his hand at that first Quidditch match, then she saw his face contorted in anger at her as she tried to defend Marietta. Finally her thoughts went to Michael, she saw him holding her in his arms as she cried over Cedric. He hadn't seemed disturbed by it; he had just let her get the feelings out. She let out a loud sob and her thoughts continued their spiral of despair.

As she sat there crying the pile of tissue surrounding her grew steadily. She wondered how, after all she'd been through, she managed to let another boy reduce her to this state. This was what had made her lose all of her friends. Then, at the thought of those who had deserted her last year she felt a wave of anger which crashed over her sorrow like a tsunami.

_Pull yourself together Chang!_ she mentally yelled and her tears slowed. She would show them! She was stronger now. She stood up and gathered her composure before stepping out of the stall she had locked herself in.

Upon catching sight of herself in the mirror she sighed. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face had gone pale in a way that made her freckles stand out more than they should. She walked over to the sink and was about to wash her face when she saw something odd bulging from her shirt pocket. Confused, she pulled out the deck of cards she had put in there earlier. She had meant to give them back to Remy when she saw him next. She laughed a bit at the memory of him running off. Then she laughed even harder when she remembered that she had just done pretty much the same thing.

As her laughter died down she picked a card from the deck and stared at it. She had never really looked at them up close. One side of the card was decorated with an ornate pattern of blue flowers and vines all woven together in a dark blue and silver tapestry. Cho couldn't help but think it was beautiful. The silver on the card glimmered slightly as the light from the bathroom's torches hit it. The edges of the card were frayed from what she imagined had been years of use. She wondered how long Remy had had them. She turned it over and studied the other side. It contained the image of a woman, well, two women. They looked like twins, or maybe it was one woman and her reflection? She spun the card around, trying to make sense of it.

The woman was dressed in red and was wearing a crown. The clothes she wore looked quite regal, if not particularly beautiful. Even though she was drawn without much detail, she seemed to radiate power. The woman reminded her of Rowena Ravenclaw. Only her upper half was shown however, for at her midsection her body joined with that of a second woman. The body of the second woman began at the midsection and continued to her head, which was towards the bottom of the card. The women looked identical and whether Cho turned the card upside down or right side up, the image was the same. It wasn't until then she noticed the two blood red hearts that decorated the card's top left and bottom right corners. There was an ornate 'Q' right above each pair of hearts. She turned the card over and over in her hand again before placing it back into the deck. As she stared at the cards her thoughts drifted back to the first time she had seen them.

xxx

It was the middle of October and the weather was starting to turn. The days were getting shorter and colder and the school was busy coping with the news of recent Death Eater attacks. Cho couldn't help but worry about her parents. What if they became victims too? What if they ended up like Cedric?

She was in the Ravenclaw common room, sitting beside a window overlooking the lake. The sun was setting and it cast an eerie array of colours over the landscape. Beside her, Marietta was doing her homework and refused to so much as glance up. She had a shawl pulled over her head that obscured some of her features and was wearing makeup that barely managed to hide the pimples that covered her face. The pimples, which were arranged in such a way that they spelled the word 'SNEAK,' were a direct result of her betrayal of the DA. They were also a direct contributor to Cho and Harry's breakup, but not the only one. No one had been able to reverse the jinx and so Marietta had been stuck with them. Now she spent most of her free time in the dorm with the curtains around her bed drawn. Cho had somehow managed to convince her to hang out in the common room today, but could tell she was extremely uncomfortable. Cho sighed, she had thought it would do Marietta some good but she might as well have been sitting there by herself.

"Give that back!" someone yelled behind her. She spun around to see a fifth year boy being taunted by two sixth years who she recognized as Stephen Cornfoot and Kevin Entwhistle. They stood on either side of him and were tossing what looked like a small, flat box back and forth between them so that it would pass over the younger boy's head, just out of his reach. She watched the boy's face as the two older boys continued to taunt him. He wore a scowl which gradually grew deeper and his lower lip began to tremble. Ravenclaw may have been home to Hogwarts' most intelligent students, but that made them no less prone to bullying.

Cho was beginning to wonder why the boy didn't just use a summoning charm to get his box back when suddenly he lunged at Stephen, who was the larger of the two older boys. Catching him by surprise the boy managed to knock him to the ground and make a grab for the box. Stephen recovered quickly however, and held it out of the boy's reach with his left hand, while trying in vain to push him away with his right. Kevin strode over, grabbed the smaller boy and threw him off his accomplice. The boy fell backwards, rolled, and in one surprisingly smooth motion he was on his feet again, wand drawn.

Kevin, who was still standing, had drawn his wand as well. The two of them stood there, wands pointed at each other as Stephen got to his feet, still clutching the box. He looked livid.

"Give. It. Back." the younger boy growled. His lip no longer trembled. It was set firmly and his teeth were gritted.

Stephen seemed to regain his composure somewhat. "Come and get it, Borden!" he sneered, holding the box out towards him.

The younger boy made a motion with his wand but Kevin was too fast.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ he said and the younger boy's wand flew through the air. Stephen caught it easily. The younger boy looked back and forth between his tormenters. His earlier resolve seemed to waver and his lip quivered again.

"Now, since you want these back so badly. Take them." Stephen spat as he threw the box at his victim. It landed a few feet in front of the boy and he eyed it but did not move. "Go on then." Stephen urged. The younger boy slowly began to move forward, his eyes continuing to dart between the older two. He reached the box and bent down to pick it up, but his eyes never left them.

"There you go. Now, you say you can do magic with those cards? Let's see you hex me with them." Kevin laughed as Stephen continued. "You don't need this right?" Stephen said and twirled the boy's wand around in front of him.

Cho was growing concerned for the boy's wellbeing and wondered why no one had intervened. She looked around, everyone in the common room was watching. Even Marietta had looked up from her homework. Then Cho realized her and Marietta were the only seventh years in the room. She knew she should do something but couldn't bring herself to. Instead she continued to watch.

There was a flash of movement and the younger boy once again dashed at Stephen who still held his wand. But this time his tormenter was ready.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_ Stephen yelled and the jinx caught the younger boy in mid-stride. He went rigid and fell forward, hexed by his own wand. With a soft thud his face hit the navy blue carpet.

"What's going on here?" a voice bellowed suddenly from the room's entrance. At once, every head in the room, except that of the boy who was petrified, turned to face the same direction.

Professor Flitwick, Charms instructor and Head of Ravenclaw House, stood in the doorway looking more furious than Cho had ever seen him. The two sixth year boys' eyes went wide as Flitwick strode into the room. He quickly summoned their wands. Then, seeing the boy lying face first on the floor he rushed to him.

"Are you ok young man?" he asked, his voice returning to its typical squeaky tone, as he turned the boy over. Cho gasped when she saw his face. He had a nasty purple bruise on his head and his eyes were watering. He blinked rapidly and she knew he was struggling to hold back tears. In his right hand he clutched the box which she now realized must contain some sort of cards. Professor Flitwick released him from the curse and the boy sat up, staring at the ground.

"You ok lad?" Flitwick asked again and the boy only nodded, his face scrunched up. The professor continued to look at the boy before sighing heavily. Then he looked around until his eyes met Cho's. "Miss Chang, please take this young man to see Madam Pomfrey." Cho nodded and got to her feet. She glanced back at Marietta who gave her a look that said she wanted no part of this. Cho turned back to the boy and helped him up.

"As for you two!" Flitwick shouted at the two older boys as Cho and the boy headed for the door. As she closed the door behind them she distinctly heard the phrase "behaviour fit for a Slytherin."

They walked to Madam Pomfrey's office in silence. She glanced at the boy every few seconds but he did not meet her eyes. He just stared at the ground, still clutching his box of cards.

Cho stayed in the nurse's office until the boy's bruise had been healed. Then Madam Pomfrey kicked the two of them out unceremoniously while mumbling something about real patients.

They had just started the long trek back to Ravenclaw tower when the boy abruptly stopped. It took Cho a few seconds to notice and she stopped and turned to face him.

"I don't want to go back," the boy said in a soft voice. He shook his head as he said it and his longish brown hair flared out a bit.

"Why not?" _Stupid question,_ the cynical part of Cho's mind chastised her as soon as she said it. The boy finally looked her in the eyes. The fierceness of his expression surprised her.

"They just watched," he said. At that moment a pillar of guilt came crashing down onto her. He might as well have said, "_You _just watched."

"So what are you going to do?" she asked, averting her eyes. He shook his head again.

"Don't worry about it." he said before turning around and walking off. She stood there for a moment, before cursing under her breath and following him.

They were on the third floor when he spun around. "Why are you following me?" Why _was _she following him? She wasn't even sure herself. She just didn't feel right leaving him by himself.

_You just feel guilty_, the cynical voice whispered. It was right.

"Because Professor Flitwick asked me to take you to the nurse and back."

"No he didn't," the boy said softly, "He just said to take me to the nurse. You did your job. You can go."

"What's your name?" she asked, ignoring him. This seemed to surprise him.

"Remy, Remy Borden," he said, and his fierce expression softened a bit. Cho extended a hand.

"I'm Ch-"

"Cho Chang," he interrupted. "I know." He hesitated, eyeing her outstretched hand warily, before taking it and quickly letting go. It was her turn to be surprised. She had seen the boy around and knew he was in fifth year but that was about it. She mentally shrugged, figuring it was normal for students to be familiar with those older than them.

"So Remy," she began and cast her mind about for something to talk about that hopefully wouldn't remind him of what had happened upstairs. "What's in the box?" _Oops._

His posture went stiff and his grip on the box tightened involuntarily. "Nothing."

"It's ok," she said and took a step towards him. She felt the compulsive need to comfort him. She could do this. "You can tell me," she said, looking him in the eyes.

"It's a box of cards." he said, eyeing her suspiciously.

"_Magic_ cards?" she prompted, remembering what Stephen had said earlier. He shook his head.

"Muggle playing cards," he whispered as if admitting a shameful secret and looked at the box with sudden revulsion. "Just stupid muggle cards!" he spat and hurled the box down the hallway. Cards streamed from the box which had been wrenched open by the force of his throw. He immediately looked horrified by what he'd done.

"It's ok," she repeated. _"Accio Stupid Muggle Cards,"_ Cho said, wand in hand. The box flew towards her and she caught it in her left hand as the rest of the cards began to deposit themselves into the box in groups. "They don't look _that_ stupid to me." She said while the last of the cards flew towards her. She handed the box back to Remy.

"Thanks," he said, staring at the floor and looking embarrassed at his outburst. "I've never really been any good at summoning charms." Cho smiled again.

"So um… what exactly do you _do_ with muggle playing cards?" she asked, feeling a bit foolish about her lack of knowledge on the subject. She had become genuinely interested by this point. Remy looked up at her and grinned.

"I'll show you," he said.

xxx

**9:40am**

"I thought I'd find you here," a voice said, catapulting Cho's mind back to the present. She turned to see Marietta entering the bathroom. "I heard what happened."

Cho looked at her, horrified. "Did, did Michael...?" She trailed off.

"No, it was that Remy kid," she said, and seeing Cho's surprised expression she proceeded to elaborate: "You didn't come to potions and I was worried, so I left class to go look for you. Told Slughorn I had to go to the bathroom. I ran into Remy on my way to the common room. He told me what happened and asked me if I'd seen you. Of course, at that point I had a pretty good idea of where to find you." Cho felt a surge of gratitude towards Marietta. She rushed over to her best friend, hugging her as tight as she could. A few more tears escaped her eyes.

"It's okay," her friend said, rubbing her on the back. Then something occurred to Cho.

"Wait, how did Remy even know?"

"Know what?"

"That Michael broke up with me."

"WHAT!" Marietta pulled back from their hug and looked at Cho, bewildered. "When he said you were upset I just figured, I mean I assumed... I mean it was around this time..." She rambled.

"What are you talking about?" Cho asked.

"I thought you were upset about Cedric!" Marietta said. Then her expression was replaced with one of anger. "Wait. That wanker broke up with you!" In spite of herself Cho laughed. She really couldn't have asked for a better friend. Cho explained what had happened and Marietta went on a rant about stupid boys for a few minutes until she caught sight of Remy's cards. "What's that?" She asked.

"Nothing," Cho answered, stuffing them back in her pocket. "Let's get out of here," she said. "I've spent enough time in this bathroom to last a lifetime. I'll be damned if

I'm going to become the next Moaning Myrtle." It was Marietta's turn to laugh.


	2. It Gets Worse

**Chapter 2: It Gets Worse**

**12:01pm**

Cho entered the Great Hall warily, making sure to note Michael's location at the Ravenclaw table and sit as far away from him as humanly possible. After missing potions she had spent the next hour, which was a free period for her, moping about while Marietta went off to her Arithmancy class. Then, she spent the break between the end of that period and her next class resolutely avoiding Michael. She just couldn't face him. She didn't want to have that talk with him, to find out how she wasn't good enough. She wasn't good enough to win the Quidditch Cup, or to be a prefect, or to actually keep a boyfriend for more than a few months.

After her History of Magic class was finished she had seriously contemplated not going to lunch at all. Then she remembered she was supposed to be being strong. _How's that going?_ Her cynical voice had mocked. Marietta had also refused to come to lunch. Over the course of the year her pimples had faded and by now they were almost completely gone, but she still preferred to be on her own or with Cho. Old habits died h ard.

Cho ate her food quickly and resolutely, trying her best not to look up for fear of being noticed by Michael, or anyone else for that matter. She wondered who else knew what had happened, and what disturbingly distorted version of the story the Hogwarts rumour mill had managed to churn out.

"Cho?" a soft voice said as someone sat beside her. _Damn__._ She had been discovered. Determined to face her fate with dignity she looked up to find Remy Borden's concerned face staring back at her.

"Remy? What are you doing here?" she asked without thinking.

"This is where I usually sit," he said cheerfully, apparently not thinking her question was weird. "Actually, I normally sit where you are." Cho smiled apologetically. She had been so preoccupied with avoiding Michael that she had given no thought to whose territory she would invade on her journey to the far reaches of Ravenclaw table.

"I'm sorry, I'll get up," she said, secretly glad for an excuse to leave the Hall. She was beginning to think that this whole being strong thing was not worth the trouble.

"Wait." he said, grabbing her hand as she started to get to her feet. "I wasn't saying you had to leave." He looked at her guiltily.

"It's okay, I'm finished anyway," she said and gestured to her plate, which, to her embarrassment, was still full of food. She blushed a bit then stood up quickly.

"Oh, okay." Remy said softly, releasing her hand. "Later then." Cho made to leave, then she remembered something.

"I almost forgot," she said, and took the stack of cards out from her pocket, handing them to Remy. "You left these in the common room." Remy's eyes lit up.

"Thanks, Cho!" he said as he took them from her. His demeanour was that of a child opening a Christmas gift. He stared at the cards for a second before shuffling them in various complicated ways, as if testing whether they had been harmed in his absence. Cho again marvelled at the speed and ease with which he manipulated them. Then he produced a small box from his pocket and deposited them into it. He noticed her watching him and his cheeks coloured.

"You're welcome, Remy," she said with a smile and turned to leave again.

"Miss Chang, Mr. Borden," the unmistakably squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick called to them. "Just the pair I was hoping to see. Might I have a quick word?" Cho and Remy glanced at each other, and she was sure her look of uncertainty mirrored his. Flitwick led them over to a corner of the hall before he spoke.

"I've been informed by my colleagues that neither of you showed up for your first period classes this morning," Cho gulped, she hadn't even thought of that. "I'm afraid that with the increased security measures this year, we are required to give detention to any students who skip class." Cho's heart sank; she had never had a detention before, what would her parents say?

"Now, Miss Chang, your friend Miss Edgecombe tells me that you had taken ill." Cho felt a glimmer of hope; Marietta had come through for her yet again. "Unfortunately you did not notify any instructor about your condition or make a visit to Madam Pomfrey." Cho's fleeting hopes were dashed in an instant. "As for you Mr. Borden, numerous students reported seeing you wandering the halls when you should have been in Defence Against the Dark Arts." For some reason Remy glanced at Cho upon hearing this, and his slight blush returned.

"You two will have to meet me in my office tonight for a detention. I have some business to take care of in the evening, so you are to be there for ten 'o'clock sharp." Upon seeing their crestfallen looks he added, "Don't worry; I won't keep you too late. I was once young myself you know but rules are rules. Now do enjoy the rest of your lunch." And with that he left them standing there. As Cho watched him go she inadvertently caught a glimpse of Michael chatting with Padma Patil and quickly looked away.

"Are you ok?" Remy asked Cho. She wondered what prompted the question but didn't care enough to stay and find out.

"Fine," she said vaguely and walked off.

**9:33pm**

Cho was happy. She was with Cedric. They were sitting out on the grounds beside the lake and his arm was wrapped around her. Her head was resting on his shoulder and he was whispering into her ear. His breath tickled her face as he spoke, it smelled sweet, like the candy they had just been sharing.

He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head towards him as he shifted his body so that he could face her. As their faces inched closer, his suddenly became Michael's and he pushed her away.

"You're not who I thought you were," He said and she stared at him in shock. That should have been her line. He then pulled something out of his pocket; it was a card with a picture of a lady wearing a crown and decorated with hearts. _A queen_, Cho suddenly realized. Remy smiled and the card he was holding exploded in a flash of red light.

xxx

For the second time that day Cho woke up to the fading memory of cards. This time, however, Luna Lovegood was standing beside her bed, staring down at her.

"Oh dear, did I wake you?" Luna asked. "I really didn't mean to."

"No," Cho shook her head, her voice groggy. "I think my dream woke me." Luna nodded knowingly.

"A Morphander must have kicked you out of it." Seeing the bewildered look on Cho's face she added, "Don't worry, it happens to me all the time. It probably wanted some privacy."

"Maybe," Cho said with a shrug. "So, what were you doing standing beside my bed?" she asked when Luna made no attempt to explain.

"Oh, yes. Well Professor Flitwick found me in the halls and reminded me that it was past my curfew. I was on quite a lovely walk and had lost track of the time you see. He asked me to remind you and Remy about your detention tonight. He also said that you should bring some schoolwork with you." Here she paused looking thoughtful. "It must be quite exciting to have a reason to leave the common room after curfew." She said sincerely.

"Not really." Cho shook her head.

"Oh." Luna looked a bit disappointed. "Well when I got back to Ravenclaw Tower I didn't see you in the common room so I thought you might be in the dorm. I found you up here quite sound asleep and was trying to decide whether to come back later, wait, or wake you up. But then the Morphander did that for me!" she finished happily.

Cho caught sight of her bedside clock, sighed and sat up. She had only meant to take a quick nap after class but she had somehow managed to sleep through supper as well. She still had enough time to do a bit of revision before the detention though. Then she thought of something.

"Say, Luna," she began. "Is Michael in the common room?"

"Michael Corner?" Luna asked. Cho nodded. "He was when I came in here." She said. "He and Padma were doing homework together. I thought about asking them if they had seen you, but I didn't want to interrupt." Cho's heart sank at the news, but she was very glad that Luna respected Ravenclaw customs more than some others. Speaking of which...

"What about Remy?" she asked, thinking maybe they could go to the detention together. She did not feel like walking through the castle alone, even if it wasn't quite dark yet.

"He was there, but he left when I reminded him about the detention."

"He already left?" she asked and Luna nodded. "But our detention's not until ten."

"Maybe he wanted to take the scenic route," she offered. Cho sighed.

"Maybe," she answered. "Anyway, thanks Luna."

"You know this is the longest conversation we've ever had?" Luna said, smiling. Cho was taken aback.

"I'm really sorry about that, Luna," she said sadly. "I guess I should have gotten a detention sooner," she added with a laugh. Luna looked confused.

"Why would you have done that?"

"Well, because..." Cho trailed off, suddenly feeling very silly.

"I'm only kidding," Luna said, smiling brightly, "I do have a sense of humour you know." Cho laughed again, relieved.

"Well, I should go," Luna said. "I'm quite busy preparing for my OWLs. I've been studying History of Magic all week. It's really a very entertaining subject." Cho recalled the book Luna had been reading the night before and grinned. Only Luna could find entertainment in such a dull subject. "Have fun in detention!" Luna said sincerely as she left the room.

"I will!" Cho called after her before realizing what she was saying.

**9:57pm**

Cho stood in front of Flitwick's office, slightly out of breath. The bag slung over her shoulder was filled with an assortment of books. She couldn't decide just what to bring, so she brought them all. She had almost been late because she was waiting for Michael to leave the common room. She had been hovering by the door for almost twenty minutes. At 9:50 he and Padma had given no sign that they would be leaving anytime soon so Cho had bitten the bullet and walked briskly through the room, her eyes fixed in front of her. She was sure she had seen Michael look up out of the corner of her eye, but was gone before he could speak.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. A few seconds later a squeaky voice on the other side called, "Come in." She entered the room to find Flitwick sitting at his desk. Two smaller desks were placed in front of his, each with a chair behind it.

"Good evening Miss Chang," The tiny man said cordially. "How are you?"

"I'm okay sir," she said. He gestured to the desks and she took a seat behind the furthest one, placing her bag on it.

"Have you seen Mr. Borden?" He asked after she had settled.

"He's on his way, I think," she said and he nodded.

"Well, I normally have my students practice charms during their detentions. But since exams are coming up soon I'll just let you decide what subject your time would be best served studying." Cho didn't think that sounded too bad. She shuddered at the thought of what detention with Professor Snape would have been like.

"Thank you, sir." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Not at all, Miss Chang." Just then there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he squeaked and Remy Borden walked into the office.

"Hello, Mr. Borden. Cutting it a bit close tonight aren't we?" Cho glanced at the clock that hung behind Flitwick. It was ten 'o'clock on the dot.

"Sorry sir," Remy mumbled.

"Nothing to worry about lad," Flitwick answered. "I was just telling Miss Chang that I would let you use this time to study for whatever subject you deem worthy. Do take a seat." He gestured to the desk beside Cho.

She smiled at Remy as he sat down and couldn't help wondering where he had gone before coming here. Then she took out her potions book and turned to the chapter she had been studying the night before. A few minutes later she glanced up at the clock.

**10:05pm**

This was why she hated classrooms where a clock was easily visible. She would be compelled to look up at it far too often.

**10:08pm**

_Seriously?_ She could have sworn she hadn't glanced at the clock in at least ten minutes. She was having trouble focussing with Professor Flitwick sitting at his desk marking assignments of some sort. He would make a squeak of approval or mumble something disapproving every few minutes. Remy, on the other hand, was silent, engrossed in some book that didn't look like any textbook she recognized. She glanced to her left, out of the small window in the middle of the room. The sun was now setting and was about half submerged beneath the horizon. The sky surrounding it seemed to burn orange while further away it faded into purplish hues. She sighed heavily; it was going to be a long night.

**10:10pm**

She reached into her bag. Studying potions was not working. Maybe she would have better luck with another subject. She was rooting around for her Ancient Runes text when her hand brushed against something very hot. She pulled back in surprise. Then she reached back in, wondering what it could be. She retrieved a Golden Galleon from the bottom of her bag. It was still very warm, but not uncomfortable to hold. She stared at it, confused, then suddenly she remembered. It was from the DA. Their way of letting members know when there was a meeting. She had meant to remove it from her bag at some point but had completely forgotten.

She couldn't help but wonder why it was burning now. Was there an impromptu meeting? Had the DA been reinstated? Then for a moment she wondered if this was the real deal, a threat that the DA was summoning its members to help combat. She shook her head suddenly and tossed the coin back into her bag. Whatever it was, she was sure they had not actually meant to summon her. She was no longer welcome. She reached into the bag again, and this time she found the book she had been looking for easily. She got back to studying and was finally able to focus.

**11:21pm**

The door to Flitwick's office burst open violently and a haggard looking Professor McGonagall charged into the room.

"Filius!" she said without stopping to catch her breath. "Something has happened. You must fetch Severus! Tell him that De..." She trailed off, suddenly noticing the two students in the room. "Why are you two here at this hour?"

"Detention," Remy offered helpfully. His voice was even softer than usual and Cho wondered if he felt quite as intimidated at Professor McGonagall's panic as she did. Flitwick seemed to consider McGonagall for a bit before turning to the two of them.

"Gather your things and return to the common room immediately. Do not stop or take any unnecessary detours." He looked at Remy as he said the last bit.

"There's no time, Filius," McGonagall interjected. "They will be safer here. Come." Professor Flitwick nodded and the two stepped outside before McGonagall turned back to the two bewildered students. "I am going to put a seal on this door which can only be opened from the inside. You must not leave this room unless it is absolutely necessary and do not let anyone in under any circumstances." As she turned to leave, Cho called to her.

"What's happening professor?" she asked, voice quivering. Something was seriously wrong.

McGonagall's eyes met Cho's but she didn't answer. Instead she closed the door. Moments later it gave a slight hum and Cho knew they had just been sealed in.

"What was that all about?" Remy asked a few moments after McGonagall and Flitwick left.

"I don't know," Cho replied.

"It...It sounded like Professor McGonagall was going to say Death Ea-"

"Don't say it!" Cho interrupted, panic rising in her chest. "Let's…just talk about something else."

"Okay..." Remy hesitantly agreed. "Like what?"

"I don't know," Cho sighed. It was hard to think of small talk when there was a large elephant in the room. Or rather, in the castle. Remy pulled out a familiar box from his pocket, withdrew the cards from it, and began playing with them. Cho watched him for a few moments.

"So what happened to you this morning?" he asked suddenly, eyes still on the cards.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you skip class?"

"Oh that. I was... upset."

"Because of Michael?" he asked, still not looking in her direction.

"Pretty much," she admitted. Remy's hands stopped their constant motion.

"What did he do to you?"

"It's not important," Cho said quickly. "What about you, why were you 'wandering the halls' as Flitwick put it?" Remy resumed his shuffling but didn't respond immediately.

"I was looking for something," he said after a moment.

"Well, did you manage to find it?" She was curious about his vague answer.

"It showed up eventually," he said. She nodded and continued watching the movement of his hands. She couldn't be entirely sure but it seemed he had gotten better over the last few months. Suddenly it dawned on her; he must have been looking for his cards.

"Remy," Cho said.

"Yea?" he answered.

"Why do you tell people you want to be a magician?"

"Because that's what I want to do."

"But you're a wizard. Why would you pretend to do magic when you can actually do it?" His hands stopped moving again. He turned to look at her and she was slightly unnerved by his gaze. She couldn't tell if she had upset him. He considered her for a few seconds before speaking.

"Before we come to Hogwarts we do accidental magic all the time. We do things without a wand that it takes us years to learn to do with one." He leaned over and reached behind Cho's ear suddenly. She flinched but did not move. When he pulled back he held a large coin in his hand.

"Look mum, no wand," he said, gesturing to the wand which was sticking out of his pocket.

"How did you do that?" she asked. Concealment charms needed to be removed by an incantation. Incantations required wands. Wandless magic wasn't even taught at Hogwarts, and only the most powerful wizards could use it for anything but extremely simple spells.

"Sleight of hand, misdirection," he said. "That's the magic my parents taught me. My parents are magicians you know. Did I ever tell you that?"

Cho shook her head. She really didn't know anything about him.

"Magicians don't pretend to do magic. We can do things a wizard would never figure out because they're too caught up in what they consider to be magic." Cho was shocked. She had never heard him talk like this before. His voice was far from its usual soft tone. He laughed suddenly and looked away.

"I'm sorry. All that talking and I didn't even answer your question." He looked a bit embarrassed. "I guess the gist of it is that I want to be like my parents. They're pretty famous. Well, in the muggle world." Cho nodded, staring at him. She couldn't help but wonder what it must have been like to grow up as the child of magicians and then to discover one day that magic really did exist.

"How come you never told me all of this?" she asked him.

"How come you never asked?" he countered.

"Because all you ever do is show me card tricks!" she blurted before she could stop herself. He just shrugged.

"What else am I supposed to do? I know you only ever talked to me because you felt sorry for me." She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but they both knew he wasn't. "But you seemed impressed when I showed you what I could do. How else was I supposed to get a girl like you to stay friends with me?"

"A girl like me?" She repeated incredulously, shaking her head, "You say that like I'm something special, Remy. I'm a mess."

"No you're not," he said.

"Yes I am! I'm an emotional wreck. I'm almost finished seventh year and I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I'm probably the worst seeker Ravenclaw's ever seen. I only have one friend left and she would prefer to be in her room alone than with me." She would have continued for quite a while longer but Remy interrupted her.

"I'm your friend too," he corrected and Cho let out a sad laugh.

"Oh Remy, don't you understand? We were never really friends. All we ever do is make small talk before you show me some magic trick and I tell you how great it is. Friends talk to each other about how they feel, they spend time together and share their problems with each other."

"You mean like what we're doing now?" Cho laughed again. This time it was a laugh of realization.

"Yea, I guess so," she admitted. Remy stared down at the cards he had just placed on the desk in front of him.

"It was you," he said softly.

"What?" Cho asked, not entirely sure she had actually heard him speak.

"This morning," he said. "It was you I was looking for."

"Me? Why?"

"You just looked so upset when you left the common room. I couldn't stand to see you like that. I hated the thought of you being upset and alone somewhere with no one to talk to. Even when I ran into Marietta and she said she would find you. I still kept looking in case she didn't."

"Remy...," she began.

"It seems stupid now," he continued. "But I guess I just wanted to see you and make sure you were okay. You might not think we've been friends but you've helped me more than you think. When you talked to me that day, you made me feel like I wasn't a complete arse for playing with muggle cards. I always looked forward to showing you whenever I learned a new trick or perfected an old one. I could tell you enjoyed them too. It made me feel like there was some purpose to what I was doing because there was someone that actually cared. What more could a magician ask for really? I guess I just wanted to return the favour."

"Wow Remy. I had no idea… that it meant so much to you." She suddenly felt extremely sad that she had never made an effort to get to know him better. She had just seen him as an odd little fifth year. Her eyes began to water. "See what I mean?" she said as she quickly wiped them. "Emotional wreck."

He reached over and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Hey, you're talking to the bloke who knocked himself out with nothing but a thin rectangle of cardboard," he said and she giggled.

"Yea, how did you manage that one Mr. Borden?" she asked. "And how in Merlin's name did you make that card glow?"

Remy smiled a mischievous grin similar to the one he had worn the night before. "A magician never reveals his secret." It was one of those things he often said to her. Cho was about to attempt to convince him to renounce that motto when a loud bang came from the door.

"Help!" someone yelled from outside as they pounded on the door frantically. Remy and Cho stared at each other. There was no mistaking the voice of Stephen Cornfoot.

"Is anyone in there? Let us in, please! They're coming!" Stephen yelled again.

"We need to hide!" called another voice. Cho's eyes went wide. It was Kevin. She wondered if Remy recognized their voices. The pounding continued.

"If someone's in there you have to let us in! They're in the castle!" Kevin yelled.

"They saw us; they saw us trying to get away!" Stephen shouted. Cho looked at the door and could see Stephen's panicked face framed in the small circular window. Their eyes met and she shrank back but he gave no sign he had seen her. Cho assumed that McGonagall's spell hid her and Remy from sight as well.

"Please!" Kevin begged, "They're here, they got in somehow." He paused. "Death... Death Eaters are in Hogwarts!"

Remy gasped. "No."

"That's impos..." Cho began, but she trailed off. It was true. It had to be, that was why McGonagall sealed them in. Death Eaters had gotten into Hogwarts. She knew they couldn't leave Stephen and Kevin out there but McGonagall's words echoed in her head. _Do not let anyone in_. She sat there, torn. Maybe they would give up soon. Find somewhere else to hide.

"Forget it, no one's in here! We have to find somewhere else," she heard Kevin say to his friend.

_What would Cedric do? Or Harry?_ Her normally cynical voice asked. As soon as the thought crossed her mind she knew what had to be done. Apparently Remy felt the same.

"Do you know any sealing or protective charms?" he asked, getting to his feet. Cho nodded. They were her favourite part of Flitwick's class.

"Okay," Remy said. "Get ready." Cho drew her wand. Remy rushed over to the door, pulled it opened and said, "Get in!" The two Ravenclaw boys outside stared at him in shock for a second, before squeezing past him into the room. Remy slammed the door shut and stepped back as Cho began casting every protective charm she knew on it. Stephen and Kevin exchanged looks of relief.

"Thank you," Stephen said, looking at Remy, while Kevin nodded in agreement. Remy didn't answer but walked back to his seat behind the desk. Stephen's eyes followed him as if waiting for a response. Cho finished the last of her charms.

"What happened?" She asked, breaking the silence. The two boys sat on Flitwick's desk and looked at each other before speaking.

"We were about to head back to the common room when we saw them. They were strolling through the halls like they didn't have a care in the world," Stephen said. Cho glanced at Remy. He was just staring at them, listening intently to their story. Cho tried her best not to think about what it truly meant.

"I panicked as soon as I recognized their masks. They were talking about completing their mission, said they had to get to the astronomy tower," he continued. "We hid behind a suit of armour but we must have made noise. One of them turned in our direction. He came walking over while the others went ahead."

"I freaked out and I ran and he followed," Kevin said, gesturing to Stephen. "We had to find somewhere to hide. This room was the first one we came to."

"How did you get away?" Remy asked.

"What?" Stephen said.

"How did you get away if the Death Eater was coming towards you? Wouldn't he have seen you? Hexed you? Why didn't he?" Remy clarified.

"I don't know, do I!" Stephen yelled. "I don't know what goes on in their heads!"

"I cast a silencing charm," Kevin said quickly. "He was coming towards us but I don't think he saw us. He must have heard something when we first hid. We ran around the corner, away from him, but not before I cast the charm." Remy nodded. Cho thought he was taking it surprisingly well. She was using most of her willpower to prevent herself from running around the room or screaming like a baby Mandrake. The four of them sat there in silence for a few moments until it became too much for her. She began to cry softly. Remy was the first to notice.

"It's okay," he said softly as he reached over and rubbed her back awkwardly. "We're safe in here." She looked up at him bewildered.

"Safe? None of us is safe! If they got into Hogwarts then..." She trailed off and began sobbing in earnest. Remy moved his chair closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder, squeezing hers. She leaned into him, sobbing all the while.

"It'll be ok, you'll see," he said.

"Oy!" Stephen called from his position at the front of the office. "What's she crying about? She wasn't almost killed by Death Eaters was she? No wait, that was us." Cho felt Remy tense up as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Shut it Cornfoot. This isn't the time," Remy warned.

"No, he's right," Cho said suddenly, and straightened up. "We have to be strong." _Right,_ _because you're so good at that_, her cynical voice mocked. She wiped her face, looking right at Stephen.

"See? Your girlfriend knows who to listen to," Stephen said, staring back at her. Kevin shot him a warning look. Remy, on the other hand ignored him and looked at Cho.

"You ok?" he asked. She nodded. Now that she was upright again he removed his arm from around her shoulders and rested his hands on his knees. Cho secretly wished he hadn't. He drummed his fingers restlessly for a few seconds before reaching for his cards again. He noticed her watching him as he began to shuffle them. "Nervous habit," he said to her with a shrug. She smiled.

"What are those?" Kevin asked suddenly, eyeing the cards. Remy looked up and stared at him for a few seconds before speaking.

"You don't recognize the card deck you gave me for my birthday?" Remy asked. _What?_ Cho mentally questioned.

Kevin stared at Remy as if sizing him up. Then he smiled. "Of course I do." _Wait, what?_ Cho thought again as Remy smiled back.

It all happened in a flash. Remy drew his wand and yelled _"Stupefy!"_ At the same time, Stephen drew his and yelled _"Expelliarmus!"_ The red bolt of light from Remy's wand hit Kevin and sent him flying backwards across Flitwick's desk right before Remy's wand flew from his hand and into Stephen's. Stephen kept his wand pointed at Remy, while he trained Remy's wand on Cho. He needn't have bothered however, as Cho was frozen where she sat. Her wand dangled from her slack hand.

"When did you figure it out?" Stephen asked after he had summoned Cho's wand.

"You're story about running into Death Eaters was pretty weak, but within the realm of possibility," Remy said, voice dripping with contempt. "But there was no possible way Kevin wouldn't recognize the muggle playing cards that you two have been tormenting me about since I started at Hogwarts. And he_ certainly _didn't give them to me."

Stephen laughed. It was a disturbingly fierce laugh, as if he had just heard the best joke a man could hope to hear.

"How fitting," he said simply.

"So who are you?" Remy asked. Cho didn't understand, her brain seemed to be moving in slow motion.

"I am but a humble servant of the Dark Lord. But you can just call me _Sir_," he sneered. _"Incarcerus!"_ He bellowed suddenly and thick ropes shot from the end of his wand and bound Remy to the chair he was sitting in. He then did the same to Cho before reviving his unconscious accomplice.

"What happened?" Kevin asked.

"I reckon we've been discovered," Stephen replied, grinning evilly. "Now we get to have some real fun."

Cho finally understood. They were trapped in this classroom, not with Kevin and Stephen, but with a pair of Death Eaters.


	3. Hostage Situation

**Chapter 3: Hostage Situation**

**11:51pm**

"Now, which one of you should I kill first?" asked the man who looked like Stephen as he eyed them. "I think I'll start with the muggle lover here." He gestured to Remy. "I'd like to have some fun with this pretty little thing before her _untimely passing_." Here he winked at Cho, causing her stomach to turn. Remy, who had remained still when Stephen had threatened his own life, began to struggle violently when the Death Eater turned his attention to Cho.

"Wait," the false Kevin said. "How will we explain two dead students if we kill them?"

"I don't know. We can blame it on Death Eaters," he said with a laugh.

"Our cover would be blown," Kevin's imposter continued.

"It's already blown," the other Death Eater retorted.

"Yes, but in a way that can be salvaged."

"Fine, we won't kill them. But we can torture them until they promise never to reveal us." Said the fake Stephen, licking his lips.

"There are more effective ways to ensure their cooperation."

"I find that the effective way is seldom the most entertaining, Phelps."

"Idiot, why did you use my name?" the fake Kevin said, irritated. "Anyway, no matter. They will soon forget it all."

"I'll tell you what, _Phelps_," Not-Stephen began. "Let me have some fun with them, then you can modify their memory to your heart's content and we'll continue with our plan."

"What exactly _is_ your plan?" Remy spoke up; his voice was loud but shaky.

"My dear boy, isn't it obvious?" Kevin's lookalike, Phelps, responded. "To infiltrate Hogwarts of course. Would you like to know more? It really is quite a brilliant plan. Of course you won't remember any of it in a few minutes."

"Go on then," Remy spat, "let's hear this _brilliant_ plan of yours." His voice grew a bit steadier. Cho was scared, more scared than she had ever been. So scared that she was having trouble thinking straight. Why was he talking to them? Why was he provoking them? Was he just trying to buy time? Didn't he see that it didn't matter? They were going to kill him. They were going to kill them both. Cho could only pray their deaths would be as quick and painless as Cedric's.

"When we first heard that some of our, _colleagues_, would be coming to Hogwarts I thought it was the perfect opportunity to place some more of our number in the last place they would expect to find us. Some polyjuice potion and two unsuspecting students was all it took. Now we will remain on the inside, assisting those of us who are already here."

"Those of you who are already here?" Remy repeated.

"Of course," Phelps said, "Isn't it obvious that we had to have someone on the inside? It would have been impossible to get into Hogwarts otherwise." Cho was horrified, how could this be? There had already been Death Eaters at Hogwarts?

"And your plan was to live among us until your inside man needed help?"

"Exactly!" Phelps said. Remy suddenly burst out laughing. The sound of it was unnerving, his voice sounded strained. Cho began to wonder if he had finally cracked under the stress of their situation.

"That has to be the worst plan I've ever heard!"

"Why are you wasting time talking to this muggle lover?" said Stephen's lookalike, who seemed to be getting more restless by the second.

"Don't interrupt!" Phelps said. "I want to hear what this young man has to say." Then he turned back to Remy. "And what, pray tell, is wrong with the plan?"

"Everything!" Remy said. "There's no way you can impersonate someone you don't know anything about! It took me five minutes to figure it out and I don't even like them. How long do you think it would take their friends, teachers, even their enemies?" Phelps smiled.

"We have ways of finding out what we need to know," he said. Remy nodded.

"So they _are_ still alive," he said.

"Very good!" Phelps said, clapping a few times. The entire conversation reminded Cho of some kind of perverse lesson. Remy was the bright and eager student and Phelps was the encouraging professor. "We have these two," Phelps said, gesturing to Stephen and himself, "hidden somewhere. We can get whatever information we need, any time we need it."

"It's more than just knowing facts about them," Remy said, "You have to know their habits and mannerisms. The way they move and the way they talk. You would be figured out easily. And even if you weren't, your plan was to just live among us? Go to classes? Hang out? It didn't take _him_ very long to start breaking character." Remy gestured to Stephen. "How long would it take you to grow tired of living this life? One slip up and Professor Dumbledore would stop you without a second thought." Phelps laughed suddenly at the mention of Dumbledore's name.

"Don't you worry, that old coot will be dead by morning," he said. Cho gasped.

"Enough talk!" the false Stephen bellowed suddenly as Remy was about to respond. He strolled over to Cho, stood behind her and grabbed her hair with his right hand, then reached around and pointed his wand at her with his left. She screamed.

"Get away from her!" Remy yelled, panic obvious in his voice once again.

"I've changed my mind. I want to do this one first. She's been much too quiet. I want to hear her scream some more," Stephen said from behind her. She could feel the tip of his wand pressed against the vulnerable skin of her neck and she began to shake violently.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped," Phelps sighed. "Just try not to leave any marks on her that can't be explained by a simple scuffle. Think you can do that, Carbin?" Apparently he no longer cared whether they used names or not.

"I'll manage somehow," Carbin said. "So what do you want first? Some Cruciatus perhaps? How about a stinging hex?" He questioned Cho.

"No," was all she could manage, her voice shaking. Tears began to run down her face.

"Oh do hurry up," Phelps said impatiently.

"Fine, fine," Carbin said. _"Crucio!" _Cho screamed in anticipation of pain that did not come.

Remy's scream was even louder. She opened her eyes and saw him convulsing violently where he sat. His scream didn't even sound human, it was worse than any ghoul.

"What are you doing!" Cho shouted. It was supposed to be her.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? Eh muggle lover?" Carbin said, ignoring her. His wand was trained on Remy whose unearthly scream continued. Carbin took a step closer to him.

"Please, stop!" Cho said. She couldn't stand to see someone else get hurt. Get killed.

"Shut your mouth!" Carbin bellowed and turned on Cho, raising his hand as if to strike her across the face. The spell he had cast on Remy ended and Remy slumped forward towards the desk in front of him.

"What is it, Carbin?" Phelps asked, bewildered. Carbin shook his head.

"Look at his hand. He was trying to free himself." Cho looked over at Remy and could see that he had indeed been trying to get free. One of his hands was already out of the thick ropes that bound him. Carbin approached Remy and pointed his wand right at his head.

"Think you're smart don't you? Trying to play hero?" Remy remained still, making no sign that he had heard. Her breath caught in her chest. _Please let him be alright. Please._ She silently begged.

"Enough of this," Phelps said, unnerved. "These two are more trouble than they're worth. Let's just modify their memories and wait for one of the teachers to come and find us."

"Fine," Carbin said. Then he looked back at Cho. "Don't worry my pretty little thing. You and I will have plenty of chances to spend some quality time together." Cho held his gaze, injecting as much hatred as she possibly could into her expression. Carbin walked back to the front of the room and stood beside Phelps. "Go on then." He said.

"What was that?" Phelps asked suddenly, gesturing towards Remy. Both Cho and Carbin followed his gaze.

"What?" Carbin said.

"Never mind, I thought I saw something move," Phelps said. Carbin eyed Remy's limp form.

"He's down for the count," he said. "Just do it." Cho continued to stare at Remy. Then she saw it too: A slight movement of the hand closest to her. It was his right hand, the one which he had partially freed from the ropes.

"Hey Carbin," Cho said suddenly, as Phelps raised his wand. Both of the imposters turned to look at her. She was past the point of being scared, she was almost numb. "Your mother was a filthy mudblood!"

"What did you say!" Carbin bellowed and made a move towards her.

"No!" Phelps yelled at the same time that a bright red glow erupted from the desk in front of Remy, who was suddenly upright. His left arm was completely free from the ropes and he was clutching a few glowing cards. Carbin froze, a look of shock and confusion on his face.

Remy hurled the cards at him. Reflexively Carbin raised his hand to shield himself as the glowing cards streaked towards him. Phelps, who had raised his wand, began to yell "Proteg-" but he was too late. The cards had almost collided with Carbin when there was an explosion of blinding red light. Then there was darkness.

xxx

Remy's hands were around her neck and she struggled to breathe.

"I'll show these wizards what real magic is!" he yelled at her, eyes glowing red.

xxx

"Cho!"

Cho's eyes snapped open and she was greeted by the sight of a wand pointed right at her. She slapped it away and sprang out of the chair she was still sitting in. "Get away from me!" She said before she realized who was standing in front of her.

"Remy!" she shouted with relief and rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him and almost knocking him over. He didn't move for a second, then he hugged her back with almost the same amount of force. It was a short hug however, and he released it almost immediately.

"I need your help," he said. "I cast a full body bind on them, but I don't know any other restraining spells." He gestured to Phelps and Carbin, who were sitting fairly upright on the floor in front of Flitwick's desk, backs against it. As far as she could tell they were unconscious. He handed her her wand. She was about to cast _Incarcerus_ when something occurred to her.

"How do I know it's really you?" Cho said, training her wand on him. Anything could have happened while she was out. He looked at her for a few seconds, apparently considering how best to convince her.

"If I wasn't me then how would I know that you're a mess?" he began. "You're an emotional wreck, you're almost done seventh year and you have no idea what you want to do with your life, your best friend would rather spend her time alone in her room than with you and you're probably the worst seeker Ravenclaw has ever seen." It was an almost perfect recital of her earlier speech. She laughed a bit with relief.

"It sounds so much worse when you say it," she said, lowering her wand.

"That's because none of it's true," he said. "Well, maybe except for the not-knowing-what-you-want-to-do-with-your-life thing." She smiled slightly but didn't answer.

"How sweet," A voice called from the front of the classroom.

"_Stupefy!"_ They both yelled, wands pointed at Carbin. The spells hit him simultaneously and he slumped forward, unconscious once again.

"My full body bind isn't the best," Remy said apologetically. Cho redid the spell and then tied them to the desk with _Incarcerus._

"We should get help," she said.

"You're right, but one of us needs to keep an eye on them," he said. She shook her head quickly.

"I don't want to stay here, or walk through the castle, alone," she said, her voice quivering. "Strength in numbers right?" He nodded.

"You're right," he said. "I don't fancy running into any other Death Eaters tonight. We'll stay here and wait for Flitwick or McGonagall to come back."

"Agreed. In the meantime, you can tell me what the hell happened." Cho said, struggling to sound calm. "How did you get free? How did you do that card thing? And what happened after I passed out? "

"Okay, well-"

"Oh my god," She said suddenly before he could continue. She sat back onto the desk behind her. The weight of what they had just been through was sinking in finally. "We could have died, Remy." He shook his head.

"They weren't going to kill us."

"I'm not so sure," she said. "You didn't see the look in Carbin's eyes when I called his mother a mudblood. I don't know what I was thinking. I just saw you move and assumed you could use a distraction. Misdirection or something."

Remy smiled at her, it was a smile she hadn't ever seen on him. "You remembered," he said simply.

"_That's_ what you're worried about?" She said with a laugh.

"It's just nice," he said quickly, flushing. Then he took a deep breath. "Okay well. The whole time when I was talking to Phelps I was trying to free myself. I know a bit about escapist tricks, but they're not really my specialty. I tried to keep Phelps talking so he would be too distracted to notice. I hoped Carbin would be distracted by the talking as well. I had gotten most of my left arm free when Carbin interrupted and started to threaten you. I panicked when he was about to curse you and shifted my body so he could see that I had started to free my right hand. Thankfully it worked, and he turned his attention to me. I don't know what I would have done if he had used Crucio on you."

Without thinking she reached over and touched his cheek. No one had ever done anything like that for her. "Thank you." She said simply. Remy flushed again and looked down.

"What are friends for?" he said before he continued. "So Carbin hit me with the curse instead. I had tried to brace myself for it mentally but there was no way I could be prepared. I didn't know it was possible to feel that much pain." His eyes suddenly became distant and Cho knew he was reliving it in his head.

"Right," he said after a second, "so I was kind of in a daze after that. I barely had any control of my body and I guess my hand sort of twitched involuntarily, which Phelps saw. I couldn't even tell what was going on, but then I heard your voice. It kind of snapped me out of it. You sounded, I don't know, strong. I reached for the cards and threw them at Phelps and Carbin, and I prayed that they would do what they did. I think the spell knocked us all out, but for some reason I woke up first. So I full body bound them, cut your ropes and then revived you."

"What do you mean the spell knocked us out? What spell?" Cho asked.

"Stupefy," he said, "It's the only one I've ever been really good at."

"Wait, so you did an actual spell using muggle cards? Is that even possible?"

"Apparently," Remy said.

"How?" she asked. Remy sighed.

"A magician never..." He trailed off at the look on her face. "Fine," he said. He reached into his bag and pulled out the book he had been reading earlier, handing it to Cho. She looked at the cover confused. _What does a book have to do with...?_ _Oh._

It was titled _Wands and Other Magical Conduits._

"Chapter 5 is the one I've been reading," he said to her as she examined the book. "It gets pretty technical but the gist of it is that wands work by channelling and focusing magical energy from our bodies and the surrounding environment. They take the normally wild and unpredictable magic that flows through our bodies and regulate it in a way that lets us control it for specific functions. The thing is, other objects can be used for that same effect, but it's a lot harder because most objects are not specifically manufactured and attuned for conducting magic like wands are. I basically applied the concept to cards." Cho just stared.

"I used them like a wand and cast stupefy. But because of the composition of cards the magic can't flow through them and so it gets trapped. As the energy builds up the card becomes more and more unstable until the energy bursts from it, destroying the card in the process. The energy that escapes from the card has the same properties as the spell used, so in the case of this one, the energy from my stupefy cards knocks out anyone caught in it." Cho's mouth hung open.

"Remy, that's amazing!" she gushed. "No wonder you're in Ravenclaw! I mean you're, you're a genius!"

Remy shook his head firmly, looking embarrassed. "Hardly. I reckon any decent wizard with that book and an interest in it could achieve the same effect. If I really was a genius it wouldn't have taken me so long to be able to do it. I've been working on this since October." Cho nodded, she suspected that it was a specific incident that had motivated him. "And I only really got the hang of it last night. Also, a genius would be able to find a way to stop the cards from being destroyed. I had already lost three before tonight, and with the four I used just now I'm missing seven cards out of the deck." He shook his head sadly. "It used to be my mother's. She gave it to me when I was first coming here."

Cho now understood his attachment to the cards. She put a reassuring hand on his. "Well they saved my life."

"Yea," he said, looking at her. "It was definitely worth it."

The door to the office suddenly swung open. "Oh my!" A normally stern voice gasped. Professor McGonagall stared from the two Ravenclaw students who were slumped on the floor in front of Flitwick's desk wrapped in thick ropes, to Remy and Cho, who had both pointed their wands straight at her.

**12:28am**

"What on earth is going on here? I've been trying to re-enter this room for the past ten minutes. Who tampered with the seal on the door? What are Mr. Cornfoot and Mr. Entwhistle doing here? And why in Merlin's name have they been restrained?"

Remy and Cho lowered their wands, breathing identical sighs of relief and looking at each other. Then McGonagall raised her wand, pointed it at one of the Death Eaters and said _Enervate._

"Professor, no!" Remy yelled. "They aren't who you think they are!" But he was too slow. Carbin's eyes fluttered open and he looked quickly between Remy, Cho and Professor McGonagall. Cho could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Help us, professor!" he suddenly said in a voice that was a very convincing impersonation of a student scared out of his mind. "They stunned us and tied us up."

"Don't listen to him professor!" Cho said as Remy made a move to hex Carbin. McGonagall disarmed him effortlessly.

"That's quite enough Mr. Borden," she said. Cho could tell she was very unnerved by the situation.

"Professor! They aren't really students," Cho began. "They're Death Eaters!" But Carbin had said the last three words at the same time she did. Cho glared at him and McGonagall continued to look between them.

"Lower your wand Miss Chang," she said, as Cho had trained it on Carbin. Cho looked at Remy who seemed equally unsure of how to proceed.

"Professor please, if we were Death Eaters how would they have disarmed us and tied us up?" Carbin pleaded. _Damn,_ Cho thought, _that was convincing._

"Don't listen to him professor. You locked us in here. How would we suddenly become Death Eaters?"

"Mr. Borden, when I arrived here the seal I made had been tampered with, and new ones put in its place. They were quite powerful too." Cho felt a surge of pride at her charm work in spite of the fact that it was being used as evidence against them.

"Exactly, professor. Please. You know it's us. Don't let them hurt us anymore."

"Lower your wand Miss Chang," she said again, not acknowledging Carbin and looking right at Cho. Cho was completely at a loss. She did not want to let her guard down but she knew that if she didn't McGonagall would think she was an imposter. Besides, Carbin was still tied up. She shot Remy an apologetic look before lowering her wand. "Thank you Miss Chang. Now I'm afraid I will have to restrain you two as well until I can sort this whole thing out."

"But professor we-"

"Mr. Borden!" McGonagall said, raising her voice slightly. It was not loud enough to qualify as a yell but it was loud enough to make a point. "This is a very delicate situation and with the state of things right now I cannot afford to take any chances." Cho reached over and squeezed Remy's hand.

"It's ok, she'll figure out the truth." Cho said.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Miss Chang," McGonagall mumbled, saying Cho's name with hesitation. Considering the situation it was understandable.

She took Cho's wand and bound them both in ropes that were much thicker than any Cho had seen conjured that night. She and Remy sat beside each other at their respective desks. McGonagall then conjured something silver from her wand which went shooting out the door and down the hallway. Cho thought it looked familiar.

"Help will be arriving soon and then we can sort this whole mess out. I would advise all of you to remain completely silent until then. I'm leaving you conscious as a sign of respect but I will not hesitate to stun you all." Cho nodded, then looked away. She saw Remy beside her staring at his desk. Carbin looked restlessly around the room but said nothing. Cho couldn't help but think that that alone should have been sending warning bells off in the Professor's mind. The _real _Stephen Cornfoot was not very good at sitting silently. Ironically McGonagall had never gotten around to waking Phelps up. Cho supposed that that meant there was one less Death Eater to worry about. As bad as the situation was she felt surprisingly calm now that McGonagall was here. It was a relief for someone else to be taking charge. Cho was beginning to suspect she wasn't the leadership type.

"Do not worry. Albus will be here soon," McGonagall said after a few minutes, almost as if reassuring herself. Cho was certain she saw Carbin smirk out of the corner of her eye. Something clicked.

"Professor!" Cho yelled suddenly causing McGonagall to whip around and stare at her, wand at the ready.

"Miss Chang I believe I said-"

"They're here for Professor Dumbledore!" she cut her off.

"Excuse me?"

"That's why the Death Eaters are here, to kill him!"

"That's enough Miss Chang! I told you already that I would be forced to use a stunner if you insisted on continuing to talk."

"Professor wai-" But her words were cut off as McGonagall cast the stunner. Cho flinched, closing her eyes in anticipation of the spell but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes she was shocked to see that Carbin was on his feet and had his hands around McGonagall's neck. _What? How?_

"This boy right here isn't the only one who knows a few tricks!" Carbin sneered as he pressed McGonagall against the wall beside the door.

Stop it!" Cho yelled as she saw her Transfiguration Professor flailing about, trying to get her hands onto her attacker. Carbin's evil grin only grew wider.

"No, I don't think I will." He applied more pressure and actually lifted McGonagall a bit off the ground.

McGonagall's struggling grew weaker and Cho began to panic. She was watching her professor die.

"Please! I'll do whatever you want!" Cho begged. Carbin seemed to consider this. His grip eased up and he let McGonagall's feet touch the floor again.

"Okay, I will let her go on one condition."

"Don't listen to him Cho!" Remy said suddenly, startling her. He had been so quiet she had almost forgotten he was here. She looked at him and could only guess that he had been too shocked to speak.

"Oy! Look at me when we're having a conversation!" Carbin bellowed and Cho turned back to him to see his grip on McGonagall tighten.

"I'm sorry! Just please let her go!"

"I will," Carbin said, and loosened his grip again. Cho exhaled. "All you have to do is take her place."

Cho was stunned. "What?" she managed to gasp.

"You heard me."

"No," Remy said. His voice was oddly firm, as if he was a father denying his daughter's request to go to a party.

"If your boyfriend interrupts again I will kill her where she stands!" He said, snatching the wand from McGonagall's almost limp hand. "So what will it be my pretty little thing?" Cho could feel the bile rise instinctively in her throat at his nickname. She tried her best to ignore it

"I… agree to your terms," she said in the formal wizarding manner.

"Cho, no!" Remy gasped. Carbin smiled. He reached into McGonagall's robe pocket and pulled out the wands she had stashed there. He picked out his own wand from the bunch, dropped the rest, then flung McGonagall aside and wrapped her in ropes. Cho stared at her; she was barely conscious but seemed to be alive.

"Come on then!" Carbin said. He walked over to Cho and grabbed her arm roughly so she stood up. Then he led her to the front of the room.

"Don't make a move!" he warned Remy, with his wand pointed at Cho. "I know you'll get out of those ropes eventually, but if you follow us, as soon as I see you I'll kill her." He paused for a bit then chuckled. "Well, I'll kill her earlier than planned." Cho was trembling again, even more violently than before. Carbin glanced back at the unconscious Phelps. "I suppose I should wake him, shouldn't I?"

A few moments later Phelps had been freed from the ropes and given his wand. He was standing beside them with a deep scowl on his face as he surveyed the scene before him.

"Shall we?" Carbin said to Cho before roughly leading her out of the room. Phelps was quick to follow.


	4. Fighting Back

**Chapter 4: Fighting Back**

**12:45am**

Cho was in a daze as she was led roughly through Hogwarts. Carbin was dragging her along with such force that it felt like her arm was going to be ripped out of its socket. As they walked he was filling Phelps in on what had happened while he had been unconscious. But Cho wasn't really listening. There was a chill in the air that was abnormal for the end of June. The school seemed to be completely deserted; it was almost like a ghost town but there weren't even any ghosts. She tried to find strength in the thought of those who had faced much worse than this. She thought of Harry and Cedric. But that almost did more harm than good, Cedric had died.

Before she knew it they had turned onto a familiar hallway. She had been here many times last year. She realized that they were heading for the Room of Requirement. She had forgotten how close Flitwick's office was to the room. To be fair she hadn't thought about it much since the last time she was there. The experience hadn't been very pleasant. It was the former meeting place of Dumbledore's Army.

As they approached the room she saw that the door was already there. That was odd, it usually only appeared after walking past it three times. Despite how traumatized she was at that moment she finally understood. The room must have somehow been their entrance route. She had no idea just how many abilities the room had, but it all seemed to fit. If they had come in through there, no one would have seen it coming. They could have found Kevin and Stephen wandering the halls after curfew and stunned them, then used some of their hair with polyjuice potion to disguise themselves. Flitwick's office would have been the first room they came to. They were probably looking for a teacher who could take them back to the common room after hearing their sob story about running into Death Eaters. Most of all it meant that there had to have been someone at Hogwarts helping them.

Even as she figured this all out, half of Cho's mind was screaming at her to run, to fight, to kick, to scream, to do anything. Most of the rest of her mind was simply trying to relive the good times of her life. She had actually had a lot of good times. Even in these past two years. She had never taken the time to appreciate them fully. Finally, in the smallest, most cynical part of her mind, a plan was beginning to form.

xxx

"Let us leave from this place Carbin, it's only a matter of time before someone finds us here," Phelps said. He was standing in front of a large cabinet looking at Carbin, who still had a firm grip on Cho's arm. Cho didn't dare take her eyes off of the Death Eaters but she was certain she had never seen the room of requirement look quite like this. It was enormous, filled with piles of junk, books, brooms, furniture and everything else imaginable as far as the eye could see. She was no longer sure whether her plan, which had been a long shot at best, was still feasible now.

"You go ahead, I want some...alone time," Carbin responded, gesturing to Cho. Phelps rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but don't expect me to visit you in Azkaban when you get captured."

Carbin laughed and turned toward Cho. She could feel his hot breath on her neck. "You hear that? He's worried about me. But you and I both know that you're going to take very good care of me. Isn't that right my pretty little thing?"

She avoided his gaze but he grabbed her face and turned her head towards him. "I said: Isn't. That. Right?"

She nodded quickly and he released her.

"Don't wait up," he said to Phelps who simply shook his head, opened the large cabinet he stood in front of, and stepped into it, disappearing from sight. Cho stared at the cabinet in confusion. Was it some sort of portal? However at the moment she had bigger things to worry about.

"Alone at last," Carbin whispered in her ear. "Now have a seat." He pushed her back so she fell to the floor, landing on her rear. He turned away from her and took a few steps forward. Now was the time. She began to focus intently. Suddenly he turned around and looked at her. She stared up at him defiantly.

"Very good, I thought you would start crying again. I hate it when girls cry." Cho realized now that her eyes were completely dry. Maybe she had run out of tears. But no, it was more than that. She was all alone and at the mercy of a Death Eater but she had no desire to cry. She would simply do what she had to in order to survive. She could no longer depend on others to give her comfort, or closure, or to save her life. It was up to her.

"Although I do love it when they scream," Carbin continued. "Something about it just gets the blood rushing, you know? You have a very lovely scream. Has anyone ever told you that? No? Well they should." He pointed his wand at her suddenly and she felt her entire body tense up. She tried to inch her way back and he began to laugh.

"Trying to get away? Don't waste your time! I know what you are. One look at you and I could tell that you were a sheltered, stuck up princess. All of you Hogwarts brats! You come here to your little school, thinking you're better than those of us who didn't!" His face was contorted in rage suddenly, where he had been somewhat calm before.

"You think a weak little girl like you can escape from one of the Dark Lord's most loyal followers? None of you in this castle knows what it means to really live!" he bellowed at her. "None of you knows how to fight! You live here in your own world and think you're safe, think you're special, but you're not. The Dark Lord could take all of your lives on a whim!" He paused here and the rage on his face became even more pronounced. His face was contorted in way that was almost inhuman. Then Cho understood, the polyjuice potion was wearing off. A few seconds later she gasped. Standing before her was a blonde haired, baby faced young man with bright blue eyes. He couldn't have been more than a year or two older than her. He was not what she had expected. His blue eyes surveyed her with sudden disgust.

"_Crucio!"_ he bellowed without warning and she didn't even have time to react before she was struck with the curse. The pain was unimaginable; it felt like her very skin was on fire. Unable to help herself, she screamed. But it was just a short burst of pain and it subsided almost instantly. She slumped backward and was now leaning against something behind her that felt like a pile of books. Every muscle in her body felt sore. How had Remy managed to stand the pain for more than a second?

"So you've seen the true me now. Hearing you scream again is almost worth it." There was a sharp pain in Cho's back which seemed even more intense than in the rest of her body. She couldn't understand why.

"So what do you think?" Carbin asked, doing a sort of flourish with his hands. "Am I what you expected?"

"You're just a kid," Cho whispered.

"What was that? Speak up now."

"You're just a kid!" Cho yelled suddenly, sitting up. The pain in her back lessened and she realized what had caused it. Carbin laughed.

"No, _you_ are the child. _I_ am a man! Even the Dark Lord will be forced to admit that after tonight!" Cho looked up at him, quizzically. Was he really just doing this to try to prove himself? "Phelps may have given up, but when I kill you and take your place at this school, the Dark Lord will have no choice but to acknowledge me!"

He walked up to her and leaned over, bringing his face right up to hers and looking into her eyes. "Just picture it: Me returning to the Dark Lord to inform him that, not only have I made my first kill, but I have infiltrated the so called greatest institution of magical learning in Britain. Whether or not his plan tonight succeeds, I will be his insurance! He will present me with the Dark Mark and I will begin my rise to become his most trusted." He stood up straight again and took a few steps back from her.

Cho's head was spinning, the information was almost too much to keep straight, but she had to try. Carbin and Phelps had not been a part of You-Know-Who's plan. Were they even ever supposed to be here? And Carbin said it would be his first kill? He had not killed anyone before? He had made it seem like he had, he obviously had no problem torturing them. Although... he had released his Crucio almost immediately after casting it. Had he had second thoughts?

"You're wrong," Cho said.

"What was that?"

"You're wrong! Do you really think he will congratulate you on acting without his permission? On drawing even more attention to his plan? Whatever it is he obviously wanted it to be carried out in secret."

"What does a little girl like you know? You cannot even begin to understand the workings of the Dark Lord's mind. You who live here in your perfect castle. You disgust me. This entire institution disgusts me."

"For someone who's disgusted by Hogwarts you seem pretty eager to come and live here!" she said. "What's the matter? You didn't get a letter when you were younger? Or did your parents just not want to send a psycho like you to a place for _normal_ people?" A part of her mind was screaming for her to stop. She would push him too far and he would snap and finally complete his first kill. But somehow she ignored it. She understood now why Remy had been provoking them earlier. She just needed to distract him. To buy some time.

"You know nothing!" he yelled and she could tell she had struck a nerve. "I am simply here to do the Dark Lord's bidding. I am glad I never came to this revolting place. Why would I want to be with so called _normal_ people? My own self was all the company I ever needed. My parents taught me until I came of age. Even those worthless slobs did a better job of preparing me for the world than the so called instructors here do!" He suddenly reached into his robes and pulled out what looked like a small pebble, filled with a clear liquid that seemed to glow slightly. "I bet your perfect little school didn't teach you about this!"

"What is that?" she asked, although she suspected she knew. Carbin laughed maniacally.

"As I thought! They tell you nothing useful! This is a capsule of pure, undiluted, _Paragonium_." Cho was right; Slughorn had demonstrated it for them earlier in the year and it was one of the potions she had been reviewing the night before. "This beautiful potion temporarily enhances the strength, speed and other physical aspects of whoever consumes it. How do you think I escaped your feeble little Incarcerus?" Cho forced her eyes to go wide so she looked surprised. She just needed a bit more time.

"Unfortunately it takes a while to come into effect. I had a capsule of it hidden behind my tooth and swallowed it almost as soon as I regained consciousness. Even with the delay, it seemed to take effect at a fairly opportune time. Although I doubt your professor would agree." He laughed again and put the capsule back into his pocket. If Cho was calculating correctly, the effect should have worn off by now. Which would mean the potion's other effects were kicking in. It would explain why he was being so long winded. She wondered if he had even realized. Maybe her plan could work after all. It was now or never.

She shifted her gaze to the cabinet behind Carbin and said, "Looks like your friend came back." He looked around at it in surprise. She sprang to her feet, the ropes she had been wrapped in fell around her and she held the small knife tight in her hand. She ran as hard as she could towards an enormous stack of chairs, books and other furniture and dived behind it as Carbin turned back around. She narrowly avoided the hex he hurled at her.

"Why did you run my pretty little thing?"

Now her panic threatened to return. But she pushed it back down. She was only going to get one shot at this. But first she had to focus again. It was a crazy theory but she could only pray that it would work. She flashed back to that day last year. She had come to the Room of Requirement for a DA meeting. She had been kept at class late and had left in a rush, forgetting her wand. As soon as she entered the room she remembered it. She hadn't wanted to leave as the meeting had just begun, but she hated being without her wand. All she could think of was how much she needed it. She would never forget how she had glanced to her left after a few minutes and her wand had been there, sitting on the floor beside her as if waiting for her. That was the day she had come to truly appreciate the room. Now she glanced to her left, praying that the room would work its magic once again...

She let out a long sigh of relief and grabbed her wand, still holding the knife in her other hand.

"Come out from behind there, dear!" Carbin called in a mock sweet voice. "Don't make me come looking for you!" he yelled a second later, his voice suddenly dark and menacing. Cho stood where she was and counted backwards from three.

_3…_

"I mean it. I had toyed with the idea of letting you live as my personal slave but if I have to come for you then I _will _kill you!"

_2…_

"I'm _sure_ you will be just as pretty dead."

_1…_

"So be it. _Reducto!_" The top of the stack she was hiding behind exploded. Pieces of wood, torn pages and fragments of glass came crashing down where she had been standing mere moments ago. As she stepped to the right she whispered _"Expecto Patronum!"_

The first memory that came to mind was Remy saying "That's because none of it's true" earlier that night. Somehow that was enough and the silver Swan burst from the tip of her wand. It was more defined than she had ever seen it. She didn't have any time to marvel at it however. She sent it around the stack and straight toward where she thought Carbin should be. Then she turned to her left and ran to the other side of the stack, jumping over the scattered debris from his curse. Her body was incredibly sore but she tried her best to ignore it. The slight cut from where the knife had pressed into her back earlier still hurt, but that same knife had enabled her escape so she was happy to bear the pain.

She stepped from behind the stack and saw Carbin looking confused at the other side, where her Patronus had emerged from. It had turned around and was now leading him away from her. She was surprised at the emotion that bubbled up inside her upon seeing him; it was uncomfortably close to hatred. He had suddenly become a representation of every one of Voldemort's followers, of every Death Eater that had ever hurt an innocent person. Before, she had been only concerned with surviving and somehow escaping. Now, she wanted more. _Weak little girl am I?_ Her cynical voice spat.

"Trying to distract me with this thing?" he said, his back to her, "Well that will-"

She didn't wait for him to finish. Instead she pointed the tip of the knife at him, then pointed her wand at the knife. Summoning all the strength she could muster she yelled _"Expello!"_ The banisher hit the knife and sent it flying, blade first, at Carbin. It was just like wizard's pool. As he turned towards her upon hearing her yell, the knife connected with the bicep of his outstretched wand arm and dug deep into it so that it was almost to the handle.

Now it was his turn to scream. Cho fought the urge to cover her ears as he let out a blood curdling wail. It was even more disturbing than when Remy had been under the Cruciatus curse earlier. She wanted to yell some clever one-liner about payback but she was too on edge to think of one. Carbin somehow kept his grip on his wand as he stared at the knife protruding from his arm. Then he yelled again, this time it was a yell of rage. Cho kept her wand pointing directly at him. She knew that the _Paragonium_ left its user weakened, with dulled senses and mild delirium when it wore off. She knew the pain he was feeling must have been excruciating. She had hoped that the knife would have left him unable to fight but the look in his eyes told her otherwise. Still, all she needed to do was disarm him.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ The spell hit his limp wand arm but had no effect._ Damn!_ He had switched the wand to his other hand. Suddenly he sent a wordless hex her way. It caught her by surprise but she still dodged it easily. In his weakened state his spells travelled no faster than stray bludgers and, being a seeker, dodging bludgers was nothing new to her. He backed up slowly, and she realized he was trying to get away. She cast a stunner at him but he blocked it with a wordless shield charm. This was turning into the last thing she wanted: an actual duel. She tried to remember everything she had learned in the DA last year and she could hear Harry's voice in her head as if he was right beside her. _Keep moving and use your environment to your advantage._ It had worked for her so far.

She dodged another hex and continued moving to her right, banishing a pile of books at him as she passed it. As he swatted the books away she realized they must have been the same ones she had been leaning against earlier. She had wished to the room for something to help her escape and suddenly a knife had been there, digging into her back. She was momentarily distracted by these thoughts which gave Carbin the chance to cast a more complicated curse at her: A wide jet of flame which she had to dive to the ground to avoid. Her entire body ached as she hit the floor. When she looked up he was stepping into the cabinet. In desperation she yelled "_Reducto!"_ but he was already gone. The door closed behind him and the curse hit the front of the cabinet. The doors exploded and thousands of splinters of wood flew from them. She could see into the cabinet now. There was nothing there. Whatever enchantment was on it had been negated by the damage. He had gotten away. On the other hand she was still alive. She got to her feet and stood there, torn between frustration and relief for a few moments. Then everything went dark.

xxx

There were voices around her asking questions.

She looked up at someone. Their expression was worried but somehow still stern.

"What happened?" the person asked.

"They got away," she said sadly.

"Are you certain they are no longer here?"

"Yes," she said clearly. Then the voices and faces faded again.

xxx

"Until we meet again, my pretty little thing." Carbin waved at her almost jovially before vanishing into a bathroom stall.

xxx

Her eyes shot open.

"You're awake," a soft voice said. Her vision was slightly blurry, struggling to come into focus. "Drink this," the voice said again. She felt something being held up to her lips, and she swallowed the liquid that came from it obediently. Almost instantly her vision began to clear and the pain subsided. It was a pain she had not even realized she was feeling until it was gone. Her eyes focused on the worried face that hovered above her.

"Remy," she said, half statement, half question.

"At your service." He smiled at her.

"Where are we?"

"Ravenclaw guest quarters."

"Why?"

"Infirmary was full," he paused, "and our injuries aren't really that serious...in comparison. McGonagall didn't want us to be coming into the common room this late either. Said it would cause more trouble than it's worth. So she sent us here instead."

"The infirmary is full?" she asked groggily. "What happened?"

"The other Death Eaters. There was some sort of battle..." He trailed off.

"Did anyone...?" She couldn't finish the question. He looked down at her for a few moments before he answered.

"Yea. Dumbledore... He's gone."

Cho stared up at him in disbelief. _Dumbledore? The greatest wizard of our time? The one person that You-Know-Who is afraid of? Was afraid of,_ she corrected herself. She wanted to cry, to scream at Remy that he was wrong, but somehow she couldn't. Instead she closed her eyes and tried to take it all in. Before she knew it she was asleep again.

**6:15am**

She awoke almost instantly. Her only clue to how much time had passed was the sun streaming through the window. Slowly but steadily the memories of the previous day tumbled into her mind. She got out of bed and looked around. Some of her things had been placed in the room. She got out some clothes and changed from the dirtied uniform she'd slept in. She was going through the motions but she felt nothing. Her mind was blissfully numb. A few minutes later she opened the door and stepped into the sitting room of the small guest suite.

Remy was seated at a small table in the middle of the room with his chin cupped in his right hand, while his elbow rested on the table. His eyes were closed and it looked like he had fallen asleep. She vaguely wondered if he had been waiting for her.

She wasn't sure whether she should wake him or not but his head jerked up suddenly and his eyes snapped open. _The Morphander strikes again._ She thought without mirth.

"Hey," she said to him as his brown eyes focused on her.

"Hi." He smiled at her warmly. "How are you feeling?"

She considered the question. "Honestly, I'm not really feeling anything." She shrugged.

Remy nodded. "It's the potion Pomfrey gave us. It's like dreamless sleep but a bit more potent. I think she put a bit of calming draught in there too. And painkillers obviously." Cho just stared at him. He looked, tired.

"McGonagall wants to see us," he said suddenly. "She said to come to the headmaster's office as soon as you woke up." Cho nodded. Part of her was dreading this meeting but most of her didn't really care.

"Shall we?" she said and held out a hand to him. Then she remembered the last time she heard that phrase. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked away. He watched her as the scene played out but didn't say anything. Instead he got to his feet and headed to the door which he held open for her. She smiled at him grimly before stepping outside.

When she and Remy arrived at the headmaster's office they found professors McGonagall and Flitwick sitting there in silence.

"How are the two of you feeling?" McGonagall asked after they had been seated. She looked quite tired, as if she had not slept in years.

"We're ok professor," Remy said, speaking for them both.

"I'm glad." As she said it her stern expression melted away for an instant and she had the look of a relieved parent. Then she was all business. "Before we discuss what happened to the two of you last night I would like you to share your memories of the night." She gestured to a corner of the room and Cho noticed a large pensieve. She remembered it from the first time she had been in Dumbledore's office: at the end of her fifth year after Cedric's death. The office looked exactly the same as it had back then.

McGonagall showed them how to retrieve a specific memory by reliving it over and over again while focusing completely upon it. As they did this, they raised their wands to their foreheads and pictured themselves pushing the memory outwards. It was an interesting sensation as she pulled the silvery string of memory out of her head. It was much like pulling a tooth while under a pain numbing charm.

She sat in silence as Remy and the two professors entered the pensieve. She had no desire to relive the night at that moment.

A few minutes later Remy emerged. She looked over at him as he came to sit beside her again. His expression was odd.

"They're looking at my memories now. I didn't really want to see them again," he explained. Cho just nodded and looked away. There was something in the way he was looking at her that unnerved her. She did not want to know how she had looked in the memory. She did not even want to think about what happened. For some reason she found herself wondering what Remy thought of her actions. She had attacked someone who had their back turned... She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Cho," Remy said tentatively. She looked at him again. "I'm really glad you're okay."

"Me too."

Suddenly there was a noise and they turned to see both Professors exit the pensieve and quickly return to their earlier seats. McGonagall surveyed the two students gravely while Flitwick looked both amazed and horrified.

McGonagall cleared her throat and began to speak. "You both showed exceptional bravery, as well as a fair amount of recklessness. Your actions have prevented even more harm from befalling Hogwarts. If circumstances were different I dare say you would have won your house a significant amount of points. I'm sure Professor Flitwick will agree with me when I say that you have done Ravenclaw proud." Flitwick nodded and smiled weakly at them.

"Mr. Borden your, _unorthodox_, use of magic was quite impressive. I think you will find that not just any wizard is able to channel magic through a non-conductive medium, even if they do manage to sneak a certain book out of the restricted section." She narrowed her eyes at him but Cho couldn't help but think she looked somewhat amused. Remy flushed slightly and for some reason Cho felt a vague feeling of pride.

"Miss Chang, your charms work last night was also very impressive. Professor Flitwick has taught you well. You also demonstrated an ability to quickly assess your situation and react accordingly. Surviving a duel with a Death Eater, even a low ranking one, is no small feat." Cho smiled, mildly embarrassed at the praise. She had a feeling there was a "but" coming up soon.

"However, I must insist that you be extremely… _selective_ in who you share the details of last night's events with," McGonagall continued. "After," she paused, "what happened…"

She trailed off and her eyes glazed over for a moment before she continued, "The last thing we need is for the public to know how close two students came to being replaced. If Hogwarts is to open next year..." She trailed off again. Cho had never seen her so distracted. She glanced at Flitwick who looked very pale and realized he hadn't spoken once during the meeting. Then she remembered something.

"Are Stephen and Kevin okay?" she asked.

Flitwick spoke for the first time. "Yes, they were found stunned and tied up in the Room of Requirement near to where we found you. They didn't seem to remember how they had gotten there. The Death Eaters must have taken them by surprise." Cho nodded and glanced at Remy.

"So what do we say when people ask where we were last night?" he asked.

"You were in detention of course," McGonagall answered. "We locked you in the room and did not have time to come and retrieve you until the morning."

"Professor... what exactly happened last night?" Cho asked tentatively. McGonagall glanced almost involuntarily at a portrait that was facing her. With a bit of shock Cho recognized the sleeping figure of Professor Dumbledore. McGonagall's face tightened and then she smiled apologetically.

"That is a story I do not wish to relive at this moment. I will be making an announcement to the entire student body at breakfast and you can hear the details there as well. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to do before then." Remy and Cho quickly got up to leave.

"Miss Chang," McGonagall said suddenly, "may I have a moment?"

"Okay," Cho said and gestured to Remy to go on without her.

"I wish to say thank you," McGonagall said after Remy left and Flitwick stepped outside to give them some privacy. "You traded places with me with no hesitation, and it is very likely you saved my life." Cho suddenly felt very embarrassed.

"It was nothing that any other student wouldn't have done."

McGonagall looked at her gravely. "I'm not so sure." Cho wondered if the expression on her face had anything to do with the Death Eaters' inside man. She hadn't considered the possibility of it being a student. She briefly considered asking but decided she didn't want to know.

"Regardless, I am very grateful to you. Perhaps in another life you would have been a member of my house." There was a slight twinkle in her eye as she said it. "If, in the future, you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, professor," Cho said. McGonagall nodded at her and she left. Outside the office Remy was waiting.

xxx

"I still don't think I've fully processed what happened." Remy was saying as they sat in the grass out on the grounds near the great lake. They had both admitted that they did not feel like returning to the Ravenclaw common room just yet. Their belongings had already been moved from the guest quarters and breakfast was not for another hour so they had decided to spend some time outside. It was the beginning of a new month, but it also seemed like the whole world was starting over. Everything had changed.

"Me either. It almost feels like it was some other girl that lived through last night," Cho said. Remy nodded. "A stronger girl," She added sadly. The effects of Pomfrey's potion were wearing off and she could feel all the emotions it had suppressed returning.

"That girl _is_ you," Remy said. They both were staring out at the lake. The warm July sun shone down on them but there were enough clouds to make its touch more gentle than harsh. The grass beneath them was green and lush and the surface of the lake was placid, reflecting the scenery around it like a mirror. The setting stood in stark contrast to their mood.

"I know, Remy," she said and shook her head. "It's a little scary."

"Scary?" He glanced at her. Noticing the movement she looked at him as well and their eyes met. She nodded and broke the eye contact.

"Yea. At first I was just terrified. Terrified of what he would do to me. Terrified of what would happen if he got away. Then eventually that faded and all I wanted to do was survive by any means necessary. And then, that faded as well..."

"What did you feel then?"

"Rage, hatred. I wanted to hurt him, Remy," she said in a small voice that was almost pleading. She looked at him again.

"I had the element of surprise, I could have stunned him. I could have disarmed him. I could have petrified him. But I chose to attack him. I was aiming that knife for his back."

Remy looked at her, his expression unfathomable. Would he see her differently now? How would he react to discovering this darkness inside of her? A darkness she herself had just discovered.

"I would have done the same thing," he said and his expression hardened. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" He was always so gentle, so soft spoken. She hadn't expected him to say that.

"Of course. After what he did... To me, to professor McGonagall, to you. I wanted to hurt him too." He had been staring at the lake as he said all of this but now he looked at her. His brown eyes had a fierce expression she had only seen on him a few times before. "I still do."

She let out a sigh of relief. _He actually understands._

"How did you feel when the knife stabbed him?" he asked.

She considered his question for a moment, realizing she hadn't really thought about it. "I felt… relieved. I think I was glad that it only got his arm." She was surprised. "Why do you think that is?"

Remy nodded. "That's because you aren't like them. You don't take pleasure in causing pain. It's because you're still a good person, even if you sometimes feel otherwise." She smiled at him, it was the first genuine smile she had done since waking up. She was suddenly very grateful he was there with her.

"I wonder what's going to happen now," she said.

"I don't know. But I doubt there'll be any more classes. Seems kind of pointless now that..." He trailed off. They were both determined to avoid saying it out loud. "A lot of things seem pointless now."

"I know, it's hard to believe that my biggest concern for most of yesterday was avoiding the guy who dumped me," Cho mused. She glanced over at Remy who was looking at her with an odd expression.

"He...broke up with you?" Cho nodded. "Why?"

"Honestly I'm not sure. Didn't really stick around long enough to find out did I?" Remy's expression changed to one of comprehension.

"That's why you were..."

"Yea. It seems like a lifetime ago now. I was afraid of what he would say to me. Afraid of hearing why he didn't want to be with me. Now I'm not sure I really wanted to be with him. The whole time I was thinking about whether or not I was good enough for him. I never really considered if he was right for me. Thinking about it now I'm pretty sure he wasn't." Remy said nothing, letting her talk through it.

"I've never really taken any time for myself since Cedric... Instead of dealing with things I just kept running to the next relationship. I never even realized until now."

"Remy," she said after a pause, and looked right at him. "I think I felt like I _had_ to be in a relationship... Because I wasn't sure I was worth anything by myself."

He reached over and placed his hand on hers. "You are."

She smiled at him. The weight and warmth of his hand was reassuring. He squeezed it lightly. Who would have thought that she would be here today bearing her heart to Remy Borden of all people?

"I know," she said. And for the first time in a long time, she really believed it.


	5. Epilogue

**Chapter 5: Epilogue**

Remy was sitting beside Cho at Dumbledore's funeral, his hand in hers. Rubeus Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures professor, had just placed the body on a large stone slab in front of where everyone was sitting. When Cho caught sight of it she had looked like she was on the verge of tears and Remy had reached for her hand almost as a reflex. He hadn't even thought to let go afterwards.

They had been nearly inseparable for the past few days. Remy supposed that there were some things you couldn't share without becoming close, and facing a couple of Death Eaters was one of them. The fact that they had decided not to tell anyone else about what had really happened to them might have also had something to do with it. But surprisingly that was something they rarely talked about. Most of their time had been spent getting to know each other or having the types of philosophical discussions that Ravenclaws specialized in. He had told her all about growing up as a muggle and what it was like to enter into the magical world. She told him about her Chinese heritage and how different the magical culture there was. He had showed her how to do a few card tricks and she had taken to them quite enthusiastically. He was somewhat at a loss as to why she even wanted to learn. She, on the other hand, had been helping him with his spell casting. Ever since that night he had decided to take more of an interest in traditional magic. He was not the type to seek out Death Eaters to battle, and he didn't really consider himself heroic enough to face them if he could avoid it. But he realized that they were at war and he needed to know how to defend himself. It also occurred to him that having a better grasp on wand magic might help him with his card magic as well.

He looked at Cho, the girl he would now consider his best friend. It was odd how such things could happen. But he vaguely wondered, not for the first time, if he was, or would end up, stuck in the proverbial friend zone. You see, he liked her. A lot.

What had begun as a vague crush on a pretty, older girl had deepened into something more serious after the first time they spoke. Although he had been sure she didn't really take him seriously, he had still been determined to impress her. He figured if he held out long enough he would get his shot. Well now here he was; they were closer than he could have ever hoped to be. But something stopped him from making an actual move. He wasn't entirely sure what. It was true that it didn't really seem like the right time with everything that had happened recently. And he also couldn't help but remember what she had said about moving to new relationships too quickly. But, if he was honest with himself he would admit that it was mostly because he was scared. No matter how close they were he was still the wannabe magician Remy Borden and she was still _Cho Chang_. She was two years older than him after all, and she was _so _pretty.

Cho glanced at him and he flushed deeply, realizing he had been staring at her. _During Dumbledore's funeral no less!_ He needed to stop doing that. She simply smiled at him for a second before turning back to face the front.

He knew that if he was going to do something about his feelings for her, he would have to do it soon. Time was running out.

All classes and exams had been cancelled. NEWTS and OWLs would be taken during the summer at the Ministry of Magic and the seventh years would not be getting a proper graduation. Parents and guardians had already been owled about the situation and students had had the option of leaving the school immediately or staying for Dumbledore's funeral. A lot of parents had travelled up to Hogwarts for the funeral and were staying in Hogsmeade. Some of the students had decided to stay there as well, rather than at the castle.

It took some doing but Remy was eventually able to convince his parents to let him stay. The fact that they were on tour and would not be home until the day of the funeral made it that much more convenient. He also felt he owed it to the man who had been the one to say kind words to him on more than one occasion. The headmaster always managed to offer some piece of seemingly random advice that nonetheless reassured him. Usually it came when he was wondering whether he even belonged in the magical world. And of course there was Cho, who had decided to stay as well. Her friend Marietta had left almost immediately.

Cho told him earlier that she had eventually spoken to Michael Corner. They had both agreed that the relationship had not really been working and Cho even thanked him for doing the right thing and ending it. If it was up to Remy he would have had a few choice words for Mr. Corner, but he supposed he was a bit biased. Apart from his strong desire to punch Michael in the face, he had been happy for her. He refused to acknowledge the fact that he and Cho might never have gotten so close if Michael hadn't broken up with her.

Michael had also been one of the ones to leave early. In fact, Ravenclaw tower was almost empty. Apart from him and Cho there was Luna Lovegood and surprisingly, Stephen and Kevin. All of those below fifth year had already left.

When the funeral was over, Cho went off to mingle with, and say goodbye to, a few of her remaining classmates. He watched her for a bit, thinking that it was hard to believe she wouldn't be here next year. Hogwarts wouldn't be the same without her. If it even reopened.

"Hello Remy," a dreamy voice said from beside him. He turned to see Luna staring up at him with those large silver eyes of hers. She smiled weakly but her eyes remained sad.

"Hey Luna. How've you been?" They hadn't really spoken much since Dumbledore's passing. She had been a good friend to him over the years, even though they were never particularly close. She seemed to have a knack for cheering him up.

"I've been quite sad actually, Remy. And a bit lonely. Sometimes I forget that he's gone. Those are probably the happiest parts of my day."

Remy was taken aback by the directness of her answer. Most people would just offer some vague assertion that they were doing okay. Though he supposed he really shouldn't have expected anything less from Luna Lovegood.

"How about you?" she asked.

"I've been okay," he said, then flinched. "Well, I've been pretty sad too. It helps having Cho around though." He wasn't entirely sure why he added the last bit.

Luna suddenly beamed at him, eyes included. "You should tell her how you feel." He stared at her bewildered.

"What?" _How could she- ? Am I that obvious?_

"Honestly Remy, there are Prindilubs all around you whenever you two are together. They're only attracted to extremely powerful positive emotions after all." Her tone of voice suggested that this should have been obvious. His mouth hung open and he fought the urge to look around him for evidence of these Prindilubs. He glanced involuntarily over at Cho instead. She was talking to another seventh year girl. Her long black hair swayed gently in the slight breeze that was blowing.

"Look, there's one now!" Luna exclaimed suddenly and Remy looked back at her, she was pointing at a spot right above his head. He could feel the heat rising to his face. There was a twinkle in her eye that made him wonder if she was just teasing him. Very few people knew that Luna actually had a keen sense of humour.

"I'm afraid to," he said suddenly, marvelling at her ability to draw the truth from him. "I'm not sure how she feels."

Luna simply smiled knowingly at him. "Just tell her." Her voice had lost some of its usually dreamy quality.

In spite of himself Remy smiled back, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay, I will."

"Good. Well I must get going," she said and her voice returned to normal. "I still have to finish packing. Luckily none of my things have gone missing this year so it shouldn't take too long. I hope you have a good summer filled with _lots_ of Prindilubs." She glanced behind him. "Oh, hello Cho!" Remy turned and sure enough, there she was.

"Hi Luna. What's up?"

"I was just telling Remy here about Prindilubs. You seem to have quite the infestation as well." She smiled her knowing smile again. Cho looked like she was considering asking a question but decided against it. The two girls said their goodbyes and exchanged a somewhat awkward hug which Luna managed to look extremely surprised by. After she had left Cho turned to Remy.

"What's a Prindilub?"

Remy hid his embarrassment with a laugh. "Don't ask." She looked at him skeptically but did not pursue it.

"What now?" she asked instead, looking around them. Most people had already started heading back to the castle to gather their things.

"How long do you have?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be meeting my parents in Hogsmeade in an hour or two." Remy's heart sank. He had hoped they would have more time. Her parents had decided to come and meet her at Hogwarts rather than have her take the train. Apparently they were feeling a bit overprotective ever since the attack. Remy wondered how she had managed to get them to let her stay at all.

"Oh, mine won't be here until a little later than that." Remy's parents on the other hand, had decided to cut their tour short and spend some time with him in the magical world. They would be staying in Hogsmeade for a few days before returning to muggle London.

"So I guess we have an hour...or two," he said gloomily. She looked at him with a slight frown for a few seconds before she grinned suddenly.

"I know something we can do!"

xxx

"You're not as bad at this as you made it sound!" Cho said, smiling down at him. Remy suspected she was only saying that to make him feel better but he appreciated it all the same.

"Thanks! It helps when I'm not moving." She giggled. "I think it goes without saying that you're amazing. But I wouldn't expect any less from Ravenclaw's star seeker." She blushed a bit at his praise then shot forward again. Remy marvelled at the way the slight redness of her cheeks made her look even cuter than normal. She did a couple of laps around the Quidditch pitch, smiling at him every time she passed. She looked so graceful as she did; maneuvering the broom as if it was an extension of her body. Her hair trailed behind her as she did some loops and rolls. He had never seen her fly with her hair down before; during games she usually had it pinned up in a loose bun or some similar style. Seeing her with it out now reminded him of the way that rhythmic gymnasts would make shapes with the ribbons they twirled. It was almost artistic.

He had hesitated at first when she suggested they go flying. Although he wasn't the worst in his year with a broom he was far from the best. And he felt wary about embarrassing himself in front of someone as good at it as her. He had told her he would simply watch her from the stands but she had been insistent that he join her. Eventually he gave in, realizing that it would probably be her last time flying at the Hogwarts' quidditch pitch.

Now he was glad he had. The memory of her cruising effortlessly through the air and the look of absolute joy on her face was one he knew he would treasure for a long time to come. And the view was undoubtedly better from up here.

His thoughts were interrupted as she approached him again. She headed straight towards him with her arms outstretched to either side as if she was trying to feel the wind on every inch of her that she could. She made no sign of slowing down and he briefly wondered if she had lost control. When she was almost on top of him she pulled the nose of her broom up and used her legs to swing the rear of it around so that she came to a stop right beside him. They were lined up almost perfectly.

"Care to race?" she asked, and shot him a mischievous grin. It took him a few seconds to register that she had spoken as he was still a bit stunned by her last manoeuvre.

Although he shook his head he found himself saying "Sure, why not."

"Okay," she looked somewhat surprised by his answer, "to the goal posts and back."

Needless to say she won, but she was nice enough not to beat him too badly. He was actually surprised at how well he was flying; perhaps it was just a matter of having the right motivation. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed the feel of the wind rushing past while soaring high above the world. The panoramic view of the castle and its surroundings was truly breathtaking, even better than the view from Ravenclaw tower.

"There really is nothing like it," Cho said as if reading his mind.

"Yea," he said simply. "And to think I almost swore off flying altogether when I didn't make the Quidditch team in second year. Though, to be fair, that was probably the most embarrassing day of my life." He shook his head and smiled at the memory. The intervening years had made it much easier for him to laugh about.

"Well we can't all be world class Seekers," Cho said with a grin that told him she was only teasing. Remy played along, mumbling something about overrated athletes letting the fame go to their head and then took off with Cho playfully chasing after him.

A while later they were standing in front of Hogwarts, Cho was carrying a small box in one hand. It was her trunk. She had used a shrinking and featherweight charm on it to make it easier to carry. Remy thought on how much he still had left to learn in terms of magic. He wondered if two years was enough to do it all in.

Most of the other students had already left, heading to the platform to catch the Hogwarts Express. Remy had waited as Cho said a few more goodbyes, including one to Harry Potter that had seemed particularly awkward. They had decided to head down to Hogsmeade early so they could grab a quick lunch before Cho met up with her parents.

After they had gotten off the Quidditch pitch, Cho had insisted that they go on a short tour of the castle. Remy knew that it was her way of saying goodbye to the place she had called home for seven years. They had lingered briefly in the third floor hallway where they had had their first conversation. When they had passed the Room of Requirement -whose existence Remy hadn't even been aware of until he and McGonagall found her there, unconscious- she had told him about being in Dumbledore's Army last year and he marvelled at how much went on in the ancient castle that he had no clue about.

Now they were standing together looking up at it. It seemed to stare back down at them in a way that was at once inviting and intimidating. He heard a sniff beside him and turned to see Cho hastily wiping a few tears that had spilled.

"I'm sorry. It's just… I'm really going to miss this place." He was bewildered as to why she felt the need to apologize to him. Perhaps it had something to do with how she considered herself an emotional wreck. He put a reassuring arm around her shoulder, secretly glad for an excuse to have her this close to him.

"It's okay. Just let it all out." She smiled a determined smile at him.

"Nonsense, I'm just being sill-" But she interrupted herself with a loud sob and buried her face in his shoulder. He was almost relieved. She hadn't shed so much as a tear since they had been in detention together. He thought that maybe she was crying about a lot more than just leaving Hogwarts behind.

A few moments later she had straightened up and wiped her face once again. "Thanks," she said and gave him a quick hug. He responded simply by hugging her back.

xxx

"Promise you'll write me over the summer?" she asked him as they sat at a stall near the back of the Three Broomsticks. The building was fairly full with people who had been at Dumbledore's funeral. Every so often someone would propose a toast to the late headmaster and the entire pub would join in.

"Of course. I'll have to get an owl first though. Hopefully I can convince my parents to get me an early birthday gift." He wondered at the way she had phrased the question. 'Over the summer' implied that they would be seeing each other again once the summer was through. Maybe it was simply easier for her to think about it that way. It certainly was for him.

"Speaking of which," he continued as he took out a well-worn box from his pocket. "I wanted you to have this." He withdrew a card from the box and handed it to her, face down. She turned it over and a look of recognition crossed her face.

"Remy, I can't," she said, looking from him to the Queen of Hearts she held in her hand. "This is your mother's..."

"Favourite," he finished for her. "I know." In the process of teaching her card tricks he had, of course, explained to her the various suites of cards. He had also told her how his mother had been particularly fond of the Queen and used it as a centrepiece in a lot of her tricks. When his parents were dating, his father had even taken to addressing her as the Queen of Hearts in his correspondence. Remy secretly hoped that giving it to Cho would communicate to her the depth of his feelings. He had begun to doubt whether he would be able to tell her after all. What was the point when they would have to say goodbye in just a few short minutes? But that wasn't even the main reason he wanted to give her that particular card. Ever since their first 'lesson' she had seemed drawn to it somehow. In fact, the first time she saw it she had smiled as if seeing an old friend.

"Think of it as a good luck charm," he said. She reached for his hand suddenly and squeezed it tightly.

"Thank you Remy, I will." She looked at him with such emotion in her eyes that he had to look away. He had been seized by the sudden urge to grab her and snog her senseless, but he thought perhaps that would be somewhat inappropriate. When he chanced a glance back at her she was looking down at the card he had just given her with a slight frown on her face.

"What's wro-" he began, but was interrupted by a voice exclaiming "Cho!"

They both turned to see an older couple beaming down at them. The man was somewhat short, with a kind face and stocky build. His hair was dark and cut extremely low. The woman beside him was a little taller than him. Remy blinked, it was like looking at a portrait of Cho that had been magically aged. The details were different but the overall effect was the same. Her hair was pulled into a large bun and she glanced at Remy with a quizzical expression.

"Mum! Dad!" Cho squealed and shot out of her seat, wrapping them both in a heartfelt hug. Remy watched them for a moment before remembering his manners and standing somewhat awkwardly.

"This is my friend Remy," she said when the hug ended. Remy shook both of their hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Chang," he said softly. His overwhelming desire to make a good impression had rendered him incredibly nervous.

"Ah, so you're the one our daughter has taken to mentioning quite frequently all of a sudden," Mrs. Chang said. Remy glanced at Cho but she averted her eyes. The slight colour that he so enjoyed had returned to her cheeks. He looked back at her parents to find Mr. Chang eyeing him suspiciously. With horror he realized that what was supposed to have been a quick glance at Cho had dragged on for more than a few seconds.

"Er, I suppose so," he said quickly. Mrs. Chang smiled at him politely before turning to her daughter.

"Well, we really must get going dear," she said briskly. Cho nodded and looked at Remy once again. Mr. Chang eyed them both, and finally turned to his wife.

"Come on dear, let's give them a moment to say goodbye. We'll be outside." Mrs. Chang looked as if she wanted to say something but she held her tongue and let her husband guide her out.

"I guess this is goodbye," Cho said, and smiled weakly at him. He did his best to return it.

"Yea," he said, and his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to say something cool and suave that would make up for it, although he hadn't yet thought of anything. He was saved from having to do so as Cho suddenly threw her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. It was somehow different from the few other times they had hugged. It was much more urgent, almost desperate. When they stepped apart again he was still at a loss for words.

"Bye then," she said lamely and turned to leave. He made his decision.

"Cho wait!" She turned back to face him. "I just wanted to say... That is, I... Well I like you... a lot. And I know this is the worst possible time to be telling you this, but I had to let you know how I f...," he trailed off. Her eyes had gone wide and her expression looked shocked, no, horrified. A sharp pain found its way to his chest before rising to his throat. He was pretty sure that horror was not the desired reaction when one made a confession such as this.

"Remy, I... I have to go...," she said, avoiding his eyes once again. "I'm...I'm sorry." And with that she spun around and was gone in an instant. Remy stared after her, wondering how he could have been so stupid, and wishing he was old enough to order Firewhiskey.

A few minutes passed as he sat there in a daze, thinking back to everything that had happened over the past few days and how he had misinterpreted things so badly. He should have known she only saw him as a friend. And now he was left to wonder if he had ruined that as well. He suddenly had no desire to be around people any longer and so he got up, left the money on the table and exited the pub.

Or at least he tried to. As he opened the door he collided with someone who was rushing in. He mumbled an apology while staring at his feet without so much as glancing at the person. Then he turned to head back up to the castle. An almost empty Hogwarts would be the perfect venue for him to wallow in his misery for a while. Before he could get very far he felt a hand grab his and he stopped in his tracks. The hand felt familiar.

Sure enough when he turned around he found himself face to face with Cho once again. He began to say her name but this time she interrupted him by wrapping her arms around his neck. However, it was what she did next that truly shocked him. She quickly brought her face closer and pressed her lips to his. Whatever he had been about to say was forgotten as his mind went blissfully blank. He was too stunned to move at first but he could feel the urgency of the kiss and the emotions she was trying to communicate. When he recovered from the shock he reciprocated, kissing her back just as urgently and letting everything he had ever felt for her flow into it. A few moments later she had taken a step back, but took his hands in hers. Remy just stared at her, bemused. There was so much he wanted to say, wanted to ask.

"Cho...," he began but she silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"I'm sorry; I really do have to go." She sounded slightly out of breath and her face was pleasantly flushed. "Maybe we can see each other during the summer?" she asked, sounding apprehensive for some reason. As if there was any doubt as to how he would respond.

"I'd like that," he said with a smile. She hugged him again and grinned sheepishly up at him.

"Goodbye Remy," she said.

"Bye Cho." Remy watched her go, marvelling at how soft her lips felt against his, the warmth of her body, and the sweet scent that he only ever smelled when he held her close.

As he headed back up to the castle to gather his things he wondered just how many Prindilubs were surrounding him now.

THE END


End file.
